Proper Path to Glory
by stealthmomo
Summary: Follow the adventures of Yoshika, Lynette, Shirley and Francisca as they uncover the secrets of the M.A.G.U.S. program - and find out that the Neuroi may not be the only enemy they must face. • Set during Season One prior to Yoshika's meeting the humanoid Neuroi. Some canon material. My 'Reading Steiner' predicts a .50 Worldline Divergence. - There will be Yuri. -
1. A Little Peaceful Day

**A/N - **Hello. Welcome. This story is intended to start from baseline canon and veer slightly as I introduce two new elements that did not happen in the series; Yoshika and Lynette's relationship and an earlier altercation with General Trevor Maloney.

**This is action-adventure** _**YURI. **_The primary 'ship will be Yoshika and Lynette.  
_(Figured I'd better say it up front or half of you would stop reading LOL)_

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter One - [Prelude] A Little Peaceful Day

- _July 17th, 1943 ~ Dover Straits, Britannia_ -

The beaches in Britannia could hardly be called beaches as far as Charlotte Yeager was concerned. Sparse grainy brown sand, littered with rocks ranging in size from pea gravel to small boulders and abrupt drop-off's near the water's edge. She missed the beaches of her native Liberion.

California, while it still existed, sported some of the most beautiful beach-front on earth. Only two short years earlier she had been bumming those beaches with her two closest friends, swimming, sunning, camping…not a care in the world.

An idyllic summer, spent honing her skills in preparation for her attempt to break the World Land Speed record in Utah after summer's end. Tearing up huge swaths of dirt and vegetation with her Indian Scout motorcycle as her friends cheered her on.

Girls with the genetic predisposition to become witches averaged about 1 in 1000. Although witches were highly respected members of society they were, intentionally or not, held above and apart from the common man. Especially those that chose to enter civic or military service. Usually, when a girl's power manifested, she would suddenly be treated differently by her peers. A deference to their status mixed with equal parts awe, fear and jealousy.

But not the small group of friends who had become so dear to her. Who treated her just the same, even after she had become something more. They had all promised to meet again, after Charlotte came home with her trophy, and to celebrate her achievement full out with her.

Charlotte did, indeed, leave the Bonneville Salt Flats triumphant. "Glamorous Shirley" had clocked an unbelievable 187 mph in the two-wheeled division. She had decided to stay an extra couple of days to party hard with her fellow speed-demons, which is why she was spared the fate that befell her family and friends.

The Neuroi's sudden, overwhelming assault on the western coast of Liberion was as surprising as it was devastating. When it was all over, the Neuroi had consumed almost one third of the land mass of the continental United States, including, of course, Charlotte's mother and father, the house she grew up in and every single person important to her.

The following day Charlotte had enlisted in the U.S.A.A.F.

Sighing softly, Charlotte shook off those old memories and turned her attention to the now...to the kids she was training and the hamburgers that were almost grilled to perfection. Squinting her eyes a bit and shading them with her arm, she looked up to watch the tiny silhouettes as they engaged in practice maneuvers.

Charlotte's training regimen was a lot more laid-back than Major Sakamoto's or Lt. Barkhorne's. Flight training, by it's nature, was much more open-ended and loosey-goosey than Combat or Survival training. She had spent about 90 minutes running the girls through their paces before she allowed them free flight time. While they were enjoying themselves in the air, she set up the grill and started cooking, looking forward to the impromptu picnic as much as the her charges were.

"They're all good kids." Charlotte thought to herself as she watched the four youngsters swooping and diving with reckless abandon.

Francisca Lucchini, her flight partner and spiritual little sister, didn't need the extra training but she would never pass up the opportunity to log some flight time. Perrine Cloistermann was a capable pilot, but she seemed to lack something (passion, maybe?) that many pilots possessed naturally. Lynette Bishop was timid and hesitant about seemingly _everything_, flying included. And, finally, the newest member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Yoshika Miyafuji.

Charlotte had taken an immediate liking to Yoshika. The young Fuso girl appeared, at first glance, to be quiet and unassuming... until she opened her mouth. She was surprisingly warm, sunny and outgoing. Seemingly always upbeat, she was quickly endearing herself to everyone in the squadron. Even the always-taciturn Gertrude Barkhorne. And she had taken to flying like a duck takes to water.

"Yup. Good kids."

The radio on the beach blanket behind her crackled to life and she heard the high-pitched trilling of Francisca. "Shirleyyyyy. I'm **hungry**. Are you done yet?"

Charlotte smiled and pulled the microphone from its cradle, keying the talk button. "I was just about to call you guys in. C'mon down."

"Roger!" shouted the prepubescent spitfire.

Charlotte watched as Francisca banked and flew upwards to where the other three girls were. A few seconds later the girls began their decent. All four came in for a smooth landing and, after safely stowing their Striker's, ran eagerly to the place where Charlotte had set up the food. They found the older girl waiting patiently for them, sitting cross-legged in the sand.

"Roasted corn-on-the-cob!" Yoshika chirped happily. "Just like we have at the festivals back home."

"Yup." Charlotte answered. "I found a local farm that grows sweet corn. The owner said he imported the seed from New Britannia. Massachusetts I think. Good stuff."

"Burgers, burgers, burgers!" Francisca shouted.

They all sat and began to wolf down the feast laid before them. Flying was a light but steady drain on their magic and, as a result, they were all famished. They spent a good hour or so eating and talking and laughing. Eventually, Charlotte sat back rubbing her tummy in contentment. Francisca was sprawled out on the sand, snoring lightly while the other three girls were sitting quietly, enjoying the peace of the moment.

"You all did very well today." Charlotte began, catching the girls' attention. "You have the basics down and you all seem quite comfortable with intermediate aerial combat maneuvers. I chalk it up to your having an awesome flight instructor." She chuckled, letting the girls know she was being facetious about that last part.

"Anyway," she continued "I got permission from Cmdr. Wilcke to camp out on the beach tonight if you all want to." She stood up and walked over to where her rucksack lay by the grill. "We can start a campfire, and..." reaching into the sack, she pulled out a cellophane bag and held it aloft like a trophy "...roast marshmallows. Another great Liberion tradition."

Perrine stood up, brushed the sand off her legs and donned her flight jacket. "I'll pass, thanks anyway. I'd rather sleep in my bed than on the ground." She turned and began heading for her Striker. "You guys have fun though. Good night."

"Good night Perrine." "G'night." "Good night Perrine-san." " 'Night kiddo." everyone chorused.

Yoshika looked at the others, a hint of worry on her face. Charlotte smiled inwardly. She knew that Yoshika had a huge heart and she cared deeply for all of her friends well being. Even a friend as abrasive and stand-offish as Perrine. "Don't worry Yoshika, she's fine. That's just how she is."

"Yeah," Francisca chortled, "she doesn't play well with others."

Charlotte lightly cuffed Francisca on the back of her head "Quiet, you." Francisca simply looked up at her 'big sis', giving her a toothy grin. "So, Yoshika," Charlotte continued "would you mind collecting some fuel for our fire? There's some scrub brush up on that rise that should burn nicely."

"Of course Shirley-san." She stood up and started heading for the rise. Lynette got up as well and called after Yoshika as she began to walk away. "Um...I...I...could help you Yoshika-chan. I...If you want me too." Yoshika turned and smiled warmly. "Sure Lynn-chan. I...I'd really like that."

The two stood motionless for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Then Yoshika, with a slightly flustered look on her face, turned and both girls started heading up the slight incline walking closely together, both of them blushing furiously. The remaining two watched them as they strolled away slowly, side by side. Once they were out of ear-shot, the little Romangian started squirming around in the sand.

"Arrrgh!" Francisca moaned, pulling on her twin-tails in frustration. "So! Annoying! Those two are so obviously into each other. Why do they keep dancing around it?"

Charlotte smiled openly now. "Well, the way they're mooning over each other, I'm pretty sure they'll end up together eventually." She began to clean up the area so she could pitch the two tents she had hauled out of storage. "Y'know, I think it's so cute how Lynne uses honorifics when she addresses Yoshika even though we're all speaking Britannish."

"I know, right?" Francisca squealed. "Absolutely adorable."

- _July 17th, 1943 ~ Cape Canaveral, Florida U.S.L._ -

Dr. Harold Ostermann adjusted his tie nervously as he mentally reviewed his presentation for the hundredth time. The weight of the responsibility he had been saddled with was enormous. He had been drafted to head the Cape Canaveral Research Complex in southern Liberion, one of the most extensive and well-funded Neuroi research laboratories in the world.

The Neuroi were, indeed, alien. Not just from-another-planet alien but _alien_ alien. All the research so far showed they were a silicon-based life form, something previously thought to be impossible...but there it was.

Almost three years of study, testing and experimentation had yet to yield more than a vague idea of how the Neuroi could even exist, let alone determine their goals and objectives. No declaration of war had ever been issued by the Neuroi. No demands or communication of any kind had ever been offered. They simply showed up one day and commenced to destroy everything in sight.

What **was** known was **why** the Neuroi did what they did. The solid matter they consumed became material to create new Neuroi. This prompted some in the scientific community to conjecture that the Neuroi were nothing more than cosmic Locusts, mindlessly moving from planet to planet, devouring everything in their path. Most scientists discounted that theory however, arguing that their movements and attacks evinced a guiding intelligence of some sort.

The CCRC had confirmed that the actual Neuroi was a red crystalline structure and was, indeed, sentient. This Core surrounded itself with a kind of ablative armor that some rank-and-file wag had christened 'Grey Matter'. The term, as un-scientific as it was, stuck...much to Ostermann's chagrin. Grey Matter could be destroyed rather easily but was regenerated almost instantaneously. The only way a Neuroi could be put down for good was to shatter the core.

Conventional weaponry was simply not up to the task. It took the loss of an entire squadron to destroy a Core...hardly an acceptable trade-off. Scientists and the Top Brass had discovered that a witches' shield could stave off the Neuroi coherent light beam weapons. Witches that were in the military were deployed in battle to provide shielding for attack groups. However this still wasn't enough to make a significant difference.

Everything changed when a multi-national think tank, based in Britannia and headed by Fuso's illustrious Dr. Miyafuji created the magic powered Striker Unit. Now able to get up close and personal with the enemy, Neuroi kill rates increased a hundred-fold. Unexpectedly (or perhaps not so) this increase in a witch's capabilities was the final straw among a certain segment of the male population. Mostly those who wielded power of a different sort, both political and military. To them, women with power were a threat as well as an unacceptable risk to their own station.

It was in this environment of fear and hostility that someone noticed Dr. Ostermann's report on the malleability of Neuroi Core shards. Splinters of a Core that had been taken, intact, in a Special Forces Black Ops operation. His team had determined that a Core that had been fractured was still "alive" but no longer sentient. A living shard still had the ability to accrue Grey Matter and, with some experimentation, they discovered how to force the shard to grow ablative armor over an articulated frame.

Dr. Ostermann had been summoned to Washington and was given a new assignment… to oversee the R&D of the newly-formed M.A.G.U.S. program. A Neuroi based shard-powered battle suit that would give any normal human the same degree of strength and power that a witch possessed. The suit was now ready for a live test and he stated as much in his daily report to HQ the previous evening. He was unprepared for the phone call he received early this morning telling him that General Maloney and his staff would be arriving at 10am.

Ostermann glanced at his wristwatch. _"Fifteen minutes until hell." _ As he began to review his presentation for the hundred and first time, the double-doors behind him slammed open and General Maloney entered with his entourage following close behind. Hell had arrived early.

Maloney's voice pierced the silence of the lab. "Well Dr. Ostermann. Here we all are. Impress us!"


	2. Propaganda Campaign

**A/N - ** Hello. Welcome back. Thank you all for the kind reviews on Chapter One.

This chapter will introduce three male OC's. They will **not**, I repeat _**NOT**_ be shipped with _**anybody**_. They are integral to the plot and I will try to make them realistic and likable but please be assured, **this is action-adventure** _**YURI.**_

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Two – Propaganda Campaign

- _September 5th, 1943 ~ Capel-le-Ferne Airbase, Folkestone, Britannia_ -

Wing Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke was feeling uneasy in the presence of so many 'Stars and Bars'. Having an entire contingent of top brass from the Air Ministry milling around her base set her teeth on edge. The fact that they brought a cadre of civilian press photog's and reporters thrilled her even less. To top it off, she had yet to be told what was actually going to take place here today.

As a rule, mission briefings for the 12th Air Group (_of which, the 501__st__ Joint Fighter Wing was a part_), took place at RAF Watnall. Earlier that week, Watnall had phoned and informed Minna that this weeks mission briefing would take place there, at Capel-le-Ferne.

She was ordered to provide overnight accommodations for six members of the Command Staff, three Pilots and barracks for twelve members of the civilian Press Corps. Also, she was told to clear out one hanger bay and assign security. Pressed for more details she was simply told, "We're quite sorry, ma'am. That information is above your Classification Level."

Frustrated, she had hung up and called her second-in-command, Mio Sakamoto, into the office. After bringing her up to speed, she asked the older woman what she made of the situation. The Major's thoughts echoed Minna's own. You don't call together 1/3 of the Allied Command Staff and a dozen reporters for a 'mission briefing'. Add in the pilots and the hanger request and one could take a pretty educated guess. A new aircraft design. Or some new kind of weapon. It would have to be something radically new to warrant both this level of secrecy and this level of hype. Something felt really wrong about the whole situation.

When the circus finally arrived, Minna asked Major Sakamoto to handle the initial meet-and-greet. She then retreated to her office, on the excuse of needing to finish filling out the weeks' requisition forms. In truth, she had just needed a few moments to collect her thoughts and center herself. Showing any anger at the situation and lack of serious intel would be counter-productive. She emerged from her office after about 20 minutes.

* * *

Minna walked into the main hall where a catered buffet had been set up for the VIP's and the Press Corps. She knew most of the Command staff by sight, the rest by reputation. Air Vice Marshall Hugh Bader and Air Officer Commanding Keith Park – both of whom she saw on a regular basis – were chatting amiably with Mio and an older man with iron-grey sideburns, moustache and overloaded epaulettes. That had to be Brigadier-General D H Briggs.

She also noted the presence of General Trevor Maloney. That was rather surprising. The last Minna had heard, he had been stationed in Liberion. 'On-loan' to the U.S.A.A.F. Central Command Group in Norfolk, Virginia. She had met the man on two separate occasions and found him to be a thoroughly unpleasant individual.

Vice Marshall Bader saw Minna enter and waved her over towards the group. "Commander Wilcke, come over and meet General Briggs." Grimacing inwardly, she put on her most professional smile and strode over to the buffet table. As she approached, she held out her hand in greeting.

"General Briggs, it is a pleasure to meet you, sir."

The Brigadier took her hand and gave her a warm and genuine smile. "The pleasure is all mine Commander Wilcke. The 501st has shown some impressive combat statistics. And many in OCC hold you up as an example of how a C.O. should lead. You should feel quite proud of your unit. You've done a fine job."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." Minna answered, somewhat bemused by the older man's upbeat demeanor.

"Actually Commander," he continued "we have met once before. Although you may not remember. It was a pretty big night for you I believe."

"Sir?"

"My wife and I were vacationing in Vienna three years ago and we just happened to attend the Vienna Philharmonic during the Student Guest Soloist series. You performed the most evocative and moving rendition of '_La Clemenza di Tito'_ I've ever had the pleasure to witness." the General enthused. "We simply could not believe such a clear and powerful voice came out of a 15 year-old girl."

The Brigadier looked a bit sheepish as he continued, "My wife insisted that I arrange a backstage meeting with you, and…"

"Oh, my god." Minna yelped. "Blonde hair? Mauve dress with a white collar? You were vacationing from Cardiff. She kept hugging me and picking me up off the ground shouting _'Bravissimo'_!"

"Yes." the he chuckled "That's my Marjorie."

"And you," grinned Minna, narrowing her eyes accusingly "didn't have a moustache then."

"I believe the moustache gives me an air of authority…" Briggs answered mischievously "…although Marjorie once told me it makes me look like a walrus."

Minna took on a serious look. "And your wife? I mean… Cardiff… Is she…?"

"Oh! Oh, no, she's quite well, thank you." Briggs said happily. "I sent her to stay with her sister's family in Birmingham, long before Cardiff was hit, thank god. She'll be tickled pink when I tell her I got to meet you again."

Minna couldn't help but grin. The man's genial nature was infectious. He leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "Err… do you think, before I leave, I might possibly be able to get your autograph for her."

"General Briggs, it would be my pleasure." Minna answered sincerely.

Briggs straightened and continued in a normal voice. "So, after this war is won, will you be returning to your vocation? Will you continue to sing?"

The question startled her for an instant. A scant two weeks earlier she would have given this man a completely different answer. But she had finally laid those ghosts to rest. She already knew she would return to the stage.

"Absolutely, sir. I still have a lot I want to accomplish, after all."

The Brigadier appeared satisfied with her answer. "Well, Commander, I suppose I should let you go." He rolled his eyes to the right. "It appears that someone is desperately trying to get your attention. I'll leave you to it."

Taking a step back, he bowed courteously. "I wish you a pleasant evening."

"And you as well, sir. Thank you."

* * *

Of course she had noticed General Maloney. He had spent the entire evening hovering around the periphery of the party, shuffling his feet impatiently and giving her the occasional glare. She had simply ignored him.

Beyond the petty feeling of satisfaction she got from making him wait, the conversation she just had with General Briggs had buoyed her spirits considerably. It was good to be reminded that all this was just a detour in her performance schedule.

Unlike Major Sakamoto or Lt. Barkhorne, Minna was _not _career military. She didn't care about promotion. She had no taste for the politics of the front office. Her only concern was taking care of her people until the job was done. Making sure they were kept safe… that they would come home alive. The higher-up's had never intimidated her before. Why now?

Normally, she would just kiss brass and then do what she felt she should regardless. Had she begun to play their game without noticing? Suddenly, she was as eager to confront Maloney as she had been dreading it earlier. She **would** find out what was happening on her own base. Because she still believed what she had told Mio earlier… _'__Something feels really wrong about the whole situation'_.

* * *

In the darkness of the hanger, the three massive crates loomed over Minna and Mio like featureless monoliths. "Commander Wilcke, I don't believe my invitation extended to Major Sakamoto." Minna didn't bother to look at Maloney as she answered. She continued eyeing the massive shipping crates. "If it concerns me, it concerns my second."

Maloney chose to drop the issue. He gestured to three of the grunts standing by the far right-hand crate. They cracked the seal and the front panel slammed to the ground. Contained within was what appeared, at first glance, to be an oversized suit of armor. The combination of the moonlight streaming in through the open hanger doors and the dim 60-watt emergency lighting above them gave the armor a sickly yellowish-grey cast.

It was the smoothness of the angles and the scaling on the armor that tripped a trigger in the girls' minds. They both jumped back a step, taking a defensive stance and invoking their spirit animals without a moments thought.

"Stand down, ladies. These are not Neuroi." Maloney said, gesturing to Mio to put away her weapon. Mio looked to Minna for confirmation. Minna gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Only **then** did Mio sheathe her katana.

"What you are looking at…" the General continued "… is the next step in combat weaponry. A powered battle-suit. A manned suit of armor that has flight capability, on-board weaponry and regenerative plating. All adapted from researching and reverse-engineering captured Neuroi technology." The man's jaw didn't even twitch as he delivered that last half-truth.

Maloney gave Minna a serious look. "Witches can only do so much, right? You guys have needed help in the front lines from the very beginning. Now we can finally give it to you."

"That's all well and good," Minna answered "but what's with this late night skullduggery and a press corps that doesn't even know what story they're covering? I would at least expect to be informed when classified weaponry is being brought onto **my** base."

"The 'skullduggery' as you call it, is mostly because up until three days ago this project technically didn't exist." Maloney answered honestly. "The press coverage is because, frankly, public moral is at it's lowest. We need a shot in the arm to let the people know that we **can** fight back, that we **can** win this war."

"And we are hoping Commander...**I **am hoping, that you can help us to do just that."

- _September 6th, 1943 ~ Capel-le-Ferne Airbase – Main Briefing Room_ -

"These are the three gentlemen who will be piloting the M.A.G.U.S. armor." Minna told the assembled unit. She gestured to the first man on the left. A slender, dark haired man with an easy smile. "Pilot William Fiske."

"Call me Bill. Nice to meet you ladies."

The man in the center was rather short in comparison, with red hair and a ruddy complexion. He simply nodded tersely when introduced. "Lieutenant Padric Hughes."

"And finally, " Minna concluded "Pilot Vincent Mallory." The youngest of the three men grinned, his tousled brown hair falling in his eyes. "Howdy girls. Pleasure t'meet ch'all."

"I have chosen our three best combat pilots to help put on this aerial display for the Press Corps. Lieutenants' Barkhorne and Yeager, along with 2nd Lt. Hartmann, will engage in three mock battles with the M.A.G.U.S. Squad. The objective is to show off the M.A.G.U.S.' speed, maneuverability and firepower." Minna fixed her gaze on the aforementioned Witches. "I expect you to put them through the wringer. No holding back. I have been assured that they will perform accordingly."

Gertrude Barkhorne narrowed her eyes menacingly and grinned. "Not a problem."

* * *

The mock combat/photo op was over. The three girls were sitting on their staging areas, still panting with exertion. "Holy…" gasped Charlotte " 'the fuck was **that**?"

"They *gasp* were very *gasp* impressive." 'Trude´ wheezed.

"Hell with that." griped Erica "They toasted our _asses_. If those matches didn't have a time limit, we would have lost every one."

"Yeager," 'Trude´ asked "is what I heard true? They're using pieces of a Neuroi Core to power those things? How in god's name is that _not_ a bad idea?"

"The Major looked them over with her sight. She saw electron dispersal patterns but no visual evidence of Neuroi resonance. Sanya couldn't sense a Neuroi presence either." Charlotte answered. "Still…"

"Still…?"

"… … look, Sanya and my powers work differently, well, obviously, but I mean the hearing aspect. When Sanya '_hears'_ a Neuroi presence she is '_hearing'_ a disturbance in the electromagnetic spectrum." Charlotte unconsciously took up a lecturing pose as she tried to explain her misgivings. "I _hear_ the Neuroi presence, the '_Resonance'_ as well, but I can actually **hear** it…audibly. It's pitched in the lower hypersonic frequencies and I can easily hear it because of my spirit animal."

Barkhorne raised an eyebrow. "And you can hear something from those Core pieces?"

"No… yes… … no… arrgh. How do I explain? Oh! I know! You know how, when you run up a radio dial you hit static then a station then more static then a station?"

Barkhorne nodded in the affirmative.

"Well," Charlotte continued "you know how sometimes, _sometimes_ you run into absolute silence? More feel than sound…it feels like there is a hole or tunnel waiting to be filled with noise. Like dead air. That's called an _'open carrier'_. The frequency is active but not in use. When I focused on those M.A.G.U.S. suits, that's the impression I got… dead air."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Of course. I told Major Sakamoto. She said she'd inform Cmdr. Wilcke." Charlotte chuckled "and she said if it means anything, we'll probably find out sooner than we want, and at the worst possible moment."

"Her mouth to God's ear." Gertrude quipped.

_~ ...to be continued ~_


	3. On a Pedestal

**- A/N -**

Welcome back. I now have a beta reader. Thank you Flygon Master for your help and your perspective. I'll be counting on you during the rest of this. Everyone, if you are a Lucky Star fan and you haven't read his stuff, do yourself a favor. Check 'em out.

_- In this chapter I recreate a scene from Season One Episode 8 "I Won't Forget You", as seen from two different perspectives: Yoshika's and Lynette's. Also, I reference two scenes from __Season One_ Episode 3 "You Are Not Alone"

_(I encourage reviews. However be aware that these scenes are based on the actual Japanese broadcast version. The** real** version, in other words. I never watched the dubbed Funimation version and I never will. So if something differs from what you saw in the Funimation version, please don't waste both of our time and argue it with me. Thank you.) -  
____

Thank you Double-Box Even, who left me a great review. Yes, I am going to try for epic here... we will see what happens. Box is currently writing a Lucky Star/Silent Hill crossover "Into the Dark". Do yourselves a favor, read it.

Musician74, thank you for the kind and positive words. You are an inspiration. Your writing and characterization style are one of the factors that drove me to try this stuff out for myself. The fact that you not only like the story, but understand what I'm trying to do here, just blows me away. _(M74 writes in the K-ON! section and her stories are some of the best there. I have much respect for her.)_

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Three – On a Pedestal

- _September 10th, 1943 ~ Capel-le-Ferne Airbase, Enlisted Personnel Quarters_ -

"…_ohhh… ohhhhhh… godohgodohgodohgod … yoshika… i… mmmm… love… mmnnn… you… nnnn… so… sooohhh…" _

As Lynette blinked slowly, she sleepily reached out to embrace the form next to her and smiled. Her smile slowly faded as she came fully into wakefulness and realized that what she was holding in her arms wasn't the girl she loved, but one of her pillows. She stared at it uncomprehendingly. Her face was emotionless but tears began to leak from her eyes nonetheless. "…only a dream." She whispered to herself.

Again.

Lynette's first erotic dream about Miyafuji Yoshika happened about a month after Yoshika had joined the Strike Witches. Earlier that day, the Neuroi had launched an offensive from Gallia, across the Dover Straits. There was heavy action and the battle dragged on much longer than normal. Lynne began to feel exhaustion sweeping over her. She had just dispatched another enemy craft. She swung around to find a Neuroi facing her directly. In panic, she brought her gun up and felt her stomach hollow out as heard the metallic 'clatch' that indicated her rifle was jammed.

Her engines faltered momentarily. She tried to put up a shield, but it was too much for her. She was too exhausted. Her engines cut out again for an instant. _"… so tired." _The Neuroi craft began to glow as it built up power to unleash its weapon. Lynne closed her eyes in resignation. _"I'm going to die now, aren't I?"_

There was a loud screeching sound as the Neuroi weapon discharged. At the same instant she felt a small but strong arm wrap around her waist. "I've got you Lynne-chan." It was the one voice she wanted to hear the most in the world. She opened her eyes cautiously to see the Neuroi beam splashing harmlessly off Yoshika's shield like water.

She looked at Yoshika who gave her a confident grin. "Don't worry Lynne-chan. We're almost done here. Just hang on a bit longer."

She watched as Yoshika's eyes narrowed with determination and she began to press them both forward toward the Neuroi craft. The screeching got louder and louder as they came closer and closer. The constant bombardment didn't appear to put much strain on Yoshika at all. They were almost physically touching the Neuroi when it suddenly flared with light and exploded before their eyes.

"_**Yosh!**_" the little brunette exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. She then looked over at Lynne and grinned sheepishly. "Kyun." She giggled. "I was _pretty_ sure that would work."

Yoshika's cute, bashful grin was the last thing Lynette saw before she lost consciousness. When her eyes opened once more she found herself being cradled firmly in those same small, strong arms. "Welcome back, sleepyhead." Yoshika said softly. "We're almost home."

Lynne's arms were wrapped around Yoshika's neck. She had to look upward to see the younger girl's face. Turning to look over her shoulder she saw the towers of Capel-le-Ferne in the distance. She felt like a princess, being carried home by her brave knight. A feeling, she had long since resigned to herself, she would never experience. There in Yoshika's arms she found a peace and contentment, a warmth, that she had never before felt.

That night the little Fuso girl filled Lynette's dreams. She stood before Yoshika in her nightgown, cheeks flushing at the hungry look in Yoshika's eyes. The younger girl nodded her head towards Lynne. Lynne knew instinctively that Yoshika wanted her to remove her nightgown. She did so without hesitation, and trembled in desire at the approving stare she got.

Then the younger girl moved confidently towards her, easily lifting her off of her feet and laying her down gently on her bed. They kissed hungrily. Then Yoshika began to softly kiss her neck, her shoulders… stopping at her breasts to nuzzle them. The pleasurable torture continued as Yoshika began to slowly make her way down between Lynette's thighs… The dream had ended with Lynette waking up confused, embarrassed and heavily aroused. It would not be the last time naughty thoughts about the young Fuso girl would disturb her sleep.

Before she met Yoshika she wasn't really close to anyone. Interacting with people made her very uncomfortable. She always felt clumsy and inadequate. Out of place. However, Yoshika never made her feel that way. Cheerful and positive and guileless, Yoshika always encouraged her and was always patient with her. Their friendship blossomed quickly and soon the two were inseparable.

Lynn had thought, from the very first time they met, that Yoshika was the cutest little thing she had ever seen. As they became closer, as Lynette learned what a generous and loving soul the spunky little brunette possessed, the powerful physical attraction quickly turned into romantic love.

Yes. Yoshika was headstrong. And stubborn. And a bit of an airhead. But to Lynette, those traits only served to make Yoshika even more adorable. And she would never stop fighting for what she believed was right... which caused Lynette to love her all the more.

Two weeks earlier she had decided she wasn't going to just sit back and do nothing. She wanted Yoshika to know her feelings and decided to try dropping subtle hints wherever she could. During one of their strolls Yoshika told her about an incident earlier in the day. She had baked some cookies to give to the flight crew that maintained her Striker. She had been gently rebuffed by the crew chief, who informed her that Commander Wilcke had forbidden crew fraternization with the Witches.

Lynne was unsure of why it bothered her that Yoshika seemed troubled over the situation. She didn't mind the policy at all. She felt it kept her from being accosted by male admirers, on base at least. Yoshika seemed a bit upset about it though. _"Why is it a big deal to her? Does she like men that way?"_ She thought Yoshika was into girls too, but maybe she had been projecting her own feelings on their relationship? She suddenly felt her world tilt sideways.

Unsure of what to say, Lynne told Yoshika about her lack of interaction with men, except for her brothers. How she felt uncomfortable around them and wasn't attracted to them at all. For a moment, she thought she had said too much. Glancing at Yoshika, she saw the girl was about to answer her. But, then…

... a young crewman from the 'Akagi' suddenly appeared in front of them. He bowed to Yoshika, thanking her for saving their ship from the Neuroi attack that occurred on their way to Britannia. Yoshika smiled happily from the compliment. Then the crewman held a paper out to her. "Please accept this."

Lynne thought Yoshika seemed uncharacteristically flustered by the action. Suddenly it dawned on Lynne. _"She __**does**__ like guys after all." _She thought sadly. _"She seems so happy to see him." _Her emotions were a jumble. _"I want her to be happy. I love her. If I can't make her happy, then maybe…" _Before she could second-guess herself, Lynne leaned over to Yoshika and whispered. "Isn't that a love letter?" Yoshika gave her a surprised look. "Love letter?"

"Yes." Lynne beamed, hiding her true feelings under a mask of encouragement. "You should accept it." She took the box Yoshika was carrying from her hands and gave her an encouraging smile. Although, her mind screamed the exact opposite. _"Please don't take it, Yoshika."_ Lynette thought in despair.

Yoshika had reached out for the letter, but the wind carried it out of their hands and directly into Commander Wilcke's. Minna scolded the young man for violating her "no-fraternization" orders and gave him his letter back unopened.

Ever since that day, Yoshika seemed a bit off. Sad. She tried to cover it up, but Lynette could see right through her _"She probably feels like she was rejected, kind of. I can tell it's bothering her." _She wished her friend could be happy again. But more than that, she wished **she** could be the one that would make her happy.

The more she thought about it over the succeeding days, the more she realized that she could never be in a relationship with Yoshika. Yoshika was strong and courageous. She possessed an indomitable spirit. Lynette knew that she could never measure up to the young Fuso maiden.

Lynne continued to lie motionless in her bed, heartbreak etched upon her features. _"I'm such a burden to her. I'm always holding her back. She can't do her best because she always has to look out for me …"_ her self-loathing deepened. _"…She's so amazing and I'm just so… so… …__**useless**__."_

Suddenly she could no longer contain the anguish she felt. She buried her head in her pillow and began to cry even harder. _"Yoshika could never truly love me." _she thought sadly. _"I'm simply not good enough for her."_

* * *

"… _oh… ohhh… ohhhhhh, kami-samaaaaaa… lynn-chan… lynnnnnnn… channNNNN…"_

Yoshika bolted awake, her body bathed in sweat, the sheets awkwardly twisted around her body. She blinked groggily a couple of times, still half-asleep. She made a little 'meep' sound as the graphic images from her dream flooded her memories. And another when she realized what her right hand was doing. Her head cleared as she came fully awake and a bittersweet sadness washed over her as she realized that it was only a dream.

Again.

Yoshika's first erotic dream about Lynette Bishop came soon after she joined the 501st. She had flown a mission that day… her first _official_ action since the incident onboard the 'Akagi'. She had _(literally_) supported Lynne in combat, and gave Lynne the ability and confidence to take down the enemy target after it had eluded both Lieutenant Barkhorne and Commander Wilcke.

Lynette had been overjoyed to be able to actually contribute in a big way towards her squadron, and she had realized she could not have done it without the spunky little Fuso girl. She had hugged Yoshika tightly, thanking her over and over for standing by her. Yoshika's head was pressed rather firmly into Lynne's soft and ample bosom. At first she thought she couldn't breathe, then she realized she could and was overwhelmed with the light fragrance of Heather from Lynette's soft skin.

That night the Britannian girl filled Yoshika's dreams. Alone, together with Lynette, naked in a warm blue sky… not flying but floating… touching, caressing, kissing, drifting down to softly land in a sunlit patch of mossy grass. Making love slowly… passionately... deeply… The dream had ended with Yoshika hopelessly tangled up in her sheets and tumbling out of bed loudly, causing the object of her desire come rushing to her aid. It would not be the last time the normally unflappable Miyafuji Yoshika became completely flustered in the presence of this girl.

Lynne was very unsure of herself when Yoshika first met her. Afraid to make friends, she kept herself closed off. However, Yoshika saw something in Lynne that Lynne could not see in herself and for some reason, Yoshika was able to reach her where others could not. Their friendship blossomed quickly and soon the two were inseparable.

Yoshika had thought, from the very first time they met, that Lynne was in fact the loveliest girl she had ever seen. As they became closer, as Yoshika learned what a sweet and gentle soul the shy beauty possessed, the powerful physical attraction quickly turned into romantic love.

Yes. Lynette was shy. And clumsy. And a bit of an airhead. But to Yoshika, those traits only served to make Lynette even more adorable. And she was always trying her best... which caused Yoshika to love her all the more.

She let out a disturbed sigh.

Having erotic dreams didn't disturb her. She'd been having them since she hit puberty. Masturbation, of course, didn't disturb her. She understood it was a simple biological/psychological need… no real angst involved. She _was_ from a family of physicians after all.

The fact that she was having erotic dreams about another girl didn't disturb her. She had known of her preference since puberty as well. Many of the sleepovers with her dear childhood friend Michiko, over the past couple of years, had included '_experimenting_' as Michiko liked to call it.

No, what disturbed her was the fact that her love now seemed unattainable. Two weeks earlier she had been confident. She was certain Lynette shared her feelings and she was ready to confess her love. Even better, Lynne had confided to her the fact that she didn't really like men, except for her brothers. She felt uncomfortable around them and wasn't attracted to them at all. It was the perfect opportunity for Yoshika to tell Lynne how she felt. But, then…

... a young crewman from the 'Akagi' suddenly appeared in front of them. He bowed to Yoshika, thanking her for saving their ship from the Neuroi attack that occurred on their way to Britannia. Yoshika smiled in embarrassment from the compliment. Then the crewman held a paper out to her. "Please accept this." He said in a frantic voice. Yoshika looked at him with confusion.

Lynne leaned over to Yoshika and whispered. "Isn't that a love letter?" Yoshika looked at Lynn and was surprised and a little disappointed to see that she was smiling. "Love letter?"

"Yes." Lynne beamed. "You should accept it." She insisted, taking the box Yoshika was carrying from her hands. Yoshika was stunned. _"She… she's encouraging this? But why? I thought… maybe… I thought she…"_ She glanced to her right. Lynne was looking at her expectantly. Giving her an encouraging smile. _"Why?"_ thought Yoshika in despair. _"It's like she __**wants**__ me to go out with him."_

Trying to keep her emotions in check, Yoshika had hesitantly reached out for the letter. The wind carried the letter away, directly into Commander Wilcke's hands. Minna scolded the young man for violating her "no-fraternization" orders and gave him his letter back unopened.

Yoshika never did get to read what was in the letter. Not that it really mattered to her. It felt as if nothing mattered anymore. _"She doesn't want me. She doesn't see me that way." _Her heart ached with the loss of something she had never had in the first place. _"That's right. We're just good friends aren't we?"_

Her confidence had been shattered like glass. _"Gram, your medical text books told me everything about sex but they didn't say anything about love."_ She thought to herself. _"Like how much it hurts. Why does it have to hurt so much?"_

The more she thought about it over the succeeding days, the more she realized that even if her feelings were returned they could never be together. Lynne's family probably wouldn't accept their relationship. Not that there was a problem with same-sex couples in this society, but there was a question of status… and it was very real. And in social status Lynne was far above her, after all.

Lynette's family had an extensive military background and had served King and country for countless generations. The family's service to the Crown had been recognized long ago. Her paternal great-grandfather became the first Duke of Glys, a title now held by her father. She had had the finest schooling. She was knowledgeable about things like world affairs and classic literature. Even Perrine treated her with deference, but only because she considered Lynne her social equal.

A rare frown crossed Yoshika's delicate features as she hugged her pillow. _"I hate to admit it but Perrine-chan is right. I'm just a stupid country bumpkin. Lynne-chan is a fine lady from a titled family…"_ The gloom in her mind thickened. _"…I'm just a… a… … a Raccoon Dog."_

Something inside of Yoshika finally gave way. She began to sob quietly into her pillow, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. _"Lynne-chan could never truly love me." _she thought sadly. _"I'm simply not good enough for her."_

* * *

Vincent Mallory caught up to Francisca as she was leaving the mess hall. "S'cuse me Ensign Lucchini, y'all got a second? I wanted to ask you somthin'."

Francisca was walking down the dirt path with her hands clasped behind her head. She spun around to face the young pilot while continuing to walk in the same direction, only backwards. "Sure, Mallory, what's up?"

"Well I was wonderin'… you're partnered with Lieutenant Yeager right?"

"Yup. She set's 'em up, I knock 'em down." She grinned. "Why do you ask?"

Mallory laughed nervously and unconsciously rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I was wonderin' if maybe you couldn't, kinda' introduce me to her. I, ummm, I just wanted to ask her a couple a things, y'know?" He gave an awkward chuckle. "I can't jus' walk up to her and say _'Hey!'_. She outranks me, for one thing."

Lucchini raised an eyebrow at the request, wondering what on earth this kid wanted with Shirley. Then she took a closer look at what the Pilot held in his left hand and smiled. "Sure. No problem. She's in her quarters. I was just heading over to ask her something anyway. Come on."

Mallory began following the little Romangian Ensign as she walked deeper into the base, past the Enlisted barracks, past the Officers quarters, towards a cluster of Quonset huts on the eastern side of the base. Mallory recognized the area. Every base had one… the Motor Pool. One of the buildings was set slightly apart from the others. It was that building Francisca led the callow southerner to.

They walked in through a side door and Mallory found himself standing in what appeared to be someone's living quarters, taking up about half of the building's square footage. There was a couch and an assortment of chairs, a table in the corner and something that looked like a wet-bar running along left wall. On the right was a pre-fab wall with a door cut into it. Through the opening, Mallory could see a dresser, a desk, the end of a bed and a footlocker.

"Come on in." Lucchini motioned Mallory to follow her around the corner. There, on the back wall, was an open set of double doors. A bright light was streaming from within.

As they entered the doorway, Mallory simply gawped at the contents of the huge open space that comprised the remainder of the building. There was a Striker Unit suspended in mid-air by a hydraulic lift, the engine hatch on the left leg unit open and the engine itself missing. A workbench filled with random parts and unrecognizable gadgets took up the entire far wall and doglegged left to run partway along the back wall. Where it ended there was a Coke© machine. A small black box with blinking lights was attached to the front with wires protruding from it, snaking into the coin acceptor. Next to that was a large work area containing a standing vice, drill press, metal lathe and power-sander. A wall-mounted rack filled with tools dominated the work area. The tools were arranged in painstaking order and glittered under the ceiling-mounted flood lamps.

At the main worktable, a busty redhead sat hunched over the missing Striker engine, dismantling it adroitly. Absorbed in her tinkering, Charlotte didn't take notice of the two youngsters until Francisca cleared her throat and announced "Shirley, you have a visitor."

Charlotte glanced up from her work to see Francisca and one of the M.A.G.U.S. pilots, the latter still taking in his surroundings with an awestruck look. "Well, hello Mr. Mallory. What can I do for you?"

It took Mallory a second to process Charlotte's words. Her friendly greeting and easy smile helped him to calm down a bit. "Well, ma'am, I… I'm a huge fan of yours. And I was wonderin' if you would sign this for me."

The object he had kept at his side he now brought out into the open and held toward Charlotte like an offering. There in his hands, was a mint condition copy of the program from the 1940 Bonneville Speed Trials. She took the magazine and opened to the bookmarked page.

There was the full-page color picture of herself, standing next to her motorcycle and giving the camera a thumbs-up and her most winning smile. She was wearing low-cut shorts and a white button shirt, open at the top to expose her even-then ample cleavage. She also wore the leather Bomber jacket and soft leather aviators cap that had once belonged to her grandfather. The goggles were perched rakishly on her forehead and her red hair spilled out from underneath the cap and down her shoulders.

"Where did you get this?" Charlotte asked.

"My pa's a racer too. We drove fer five days ta get to Utah so he could compete in th' four-wheel division. He came in 12th…" he grinned sheepishly "… which ain't bad when you consider it was a field of fifty." Charlotte grinned as the boy continued.

"So we was right there watchin' in the forward gallery when you broke the record. I mean, damn… oh, beg pardon Lieutenant, but… I mean… _damn…_ 187 miles an hour. I clocked 142 once." he enthused. "Kept her pegged fer about 45 seconds. Ah could'a kept goin', but th' damn piston shot clean through the engine block. Pert' near tore my knee off." Charlotte laughed as Mallory related his story.

"But what a feeling though…" he continued "…I cain't wait ta try it agin." He looked at Charlotte with unconcealed admiration. "And now, yer th' first person ta break th' sound barrier. It musta felt _incredible_."

"It **was** incredible." Charlotte answered. "It was like entering another world. I can't even begin to describe it." Grabbing a grease pencil off her workbench she signed her name over her picture. "What's your first name kid?"

"Vincent." He said. Then, with a panicky wave of his hands, he added "Oh, write it ta 'Vince', ok?" "Oh?" Charlotte smirked, "Not '_Vinnie'_?"

"God, no." Mallory shuddered.

"You got it. Vinnn-cc-e." She scribbled a small message thanking him for his support and wishing him well in his future, a fellow human with a need for speed. As she handed the magazine back to him, he saw something over her shoulder he had somehow missed before. Two motorcycles. One, a clunky-looking Karlsland make with an attached sidecar, sat at the rear of the space near the bay doors. The other… the other looked as if it had just materialized out of the magazine he now held again.

"Is that…?" Mallory began. Charlotte followed his gaze to where her Indian Scout was parked.

"Yup." Charlotte acknowledged. "I had her shipped to me after I was sure I was going to be stationed here permanently. You want to take a look at her?"

"That'd be swell ma'am. Thank you."

"Ok." Francisca announced "I can tell things are about to get all technical, so I'm out of here."

As she turned to leave, Charlotte called out to her. "Hey, you said you wanted to ask me about something?"

"Oh! Yeah. That. Totally forgot." she shrugged. "I was just wondering if you knew what tomorrow morning's meeting is all about. How come it's just me and you and Yoshika and Lynne? Are we in trouble?"

"Not that I am aware of." Charlotte answered with a smile.

"Am _**I**_ in trouble?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"Ok. Good." Francesca sighed in relief. "Now I have another, completely different question."

"Yes?"

"What _language_ is that guy speaking?" Francisca asked seriously. "I can barely understand him."

Charlotte laughed as she turned to go back into her workshop. "I'll see you at dinner."

* * *

… _to be continued…_


	4. Command Performance

**A/N -** I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It's the first embers of Lynnoshika (or Yoshikette, whichever you prefer). A couple of hints on where the whole M.A.G.U.S. thing is going and we get the girls 'on the road'. The first three chapters set up the pieces. This is where it all starts.

Flygon Master, thanks for the speedy turn around. I'll get right on #5. Prepare yourself. ^_^

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Four – Command Performance

- _September 11th, 1943 ~ Commander Wilcke's Office__ ~ 9:30am_ -

Mio ushered the four girls into Minna's office. They were puzzled to see that the three M.A.G.U.S. pilots were in attendance as well, each engrossed in a thick packet of mission briefings. On the back wall was a roll-down map of Europa. On the four empty chairs were briefing packets similar to the ones the men were currently reviewing.

Minna looked at them over her coffee mug "Ah, right on time. Have a seat girls."

Charlotte nodded her head towards the break table in the back of the room. "Commander, mind if I…?" Minna smiled at her. "Of course Shirley."

Charlotte walked to the table and poured herself a large mug of black coffee. She didn't bother to offer to get the others any. She already knew that Lynette didn't like coffee and that Yoshika preferred tea. And the _last_ thing Francisca needed was caffeine. She downed half the mug in a couple of gulps, then topped it off and took her seat.

"I'll get straight to the point." Minna began. "You four are going to escort these gentlemen to their permanent posting in Karlsland. Along the way, you will be making four scheduled stops. At these locations you will be attending press conferences and photo ops scheduled by Central Command. You will also be performing mock combats, similar to what took place here five days ago, for the press corps."

Minna paused for a second, gauging the girls reaction to this. As she expected, Charlotte immediately raised her hand for attention. "Yes, Shirley?"

"Why the press conferences?" Charlotte asked. "And why us specifically?"

"As you all know very well, we are not making much headway in winning this war. Civilian morale is at an all-time low. These press conferences are designed to give that a little boost. It will showcase not only our new weapons capabilities, represented by the M.A.G.U.S. units, but as a reminder of the power and skills of the Witches now fighting on the front lines."

"And you four specifically, for a number of reasons." Minna continued. "Shirley, you have name recognition. Between being the first person to break the sound barrier and the accomplishments you achieved before you joined the service, everyone in the world who reads a newspaper knows who you are."

Mio broke into the conversation, addressing the other three girls. "And while I have complete confidence in the capabilities of everyone in this unit, you three were chosen specifically because you are all as cute as buttons… which never hurts during a photo op." she grinned.

"It's as the Major says." Minna confirmed. "We have multiple goals to achieve, but primary among them is to rally the general public. I can't help but to agree with C and C's choices and reasoning."

As she rifled through the stack of papers in front of her, she continued. "The participants in the mock combats with the M.A.G.U.S. units will be you Shirley, along with Yoshika and Francisca. Lynne, my not choosing you for this part of the assignment is not meant as a slight. Your performance, especially of late, has been exemplary. It's just that your skills are primarily sharp shooting and long distance cover fire, and are not really suited for this type of demonstration."

"I understand ma'am. Thank you for saying so." Lynette answered politely.

As the girls were digesting this information, Minna turned her attention to the male pilots. "Until you arrive at your new posting, this is your squadron. You will be under the command of Lieutenant Yeager who, for the duration of this assignment, is being advanced in rank to Captain." She got up from her chair and walked out from behind her desk to where Charlotte was sitting. Charlotte stood up and accepted the three gold pips for her collar.

"Congratulations Captain Yeager." Minna threw her a salute, which Charlotte returned with a poorly concealed grin. "Thank you Commander. I'll do you proud."

"I know you will." Minna answered her confidently.

Walking towards the map on the back wall, she continued. "This assignment will take three weeks, during which you will have a lot of downtime in-between conferences."

She turned to address the girls, specifically Francisca, Yoshika and Lynette. "So you can all consider this to be a working vacation. Do some sightseeing. Learn about the world a bit beyond your own borders." She gave them a wink and a motherly smile. She then turned so she was facing the entire room once more and gestured to the map.

"Now, as to the specifics of this mission and your itinerary…"

* * *

The two and a half hour briefing was finished. The seven members of the newly formed "Propaganda Squad", as Charlotte had informally named them, walked into the Mess Hall animatedly discussing the upcoming mission.

Spying Gertrude sitting at her customary table, Charlotte couldn't help but to go over and tease her friendly rival. She walked past the table, thumbing the edge of her collar to show off her newly acquired Captain's pips. "I outrank you." She said with a sly grin as she walked past to get into the serving queue.

Gertrude gave a puzzled look, and then grumped when she saw rank insignia Charlotte now wore. Erica, sitting next to her, laughed at her reaction. Francisca, trailing behind Charlotte turned and gave Gertrude an obnoxious grin. "She outranks you." Gertrude rolled her eyes, which caused Erica to laugh even harder.

* * *

Lynette was heading back to her quarters to grab her purse and a light jacket. She planned to meet Yoshika in the main hall and from there the two were going into town to do some shopping for their trip. Rounding the corner of the hallway, she bumped smack into Pilot Fiske who looked delighted when he saw whom he had run into.

"Sargent Bishop. Just the person I was looking for." Fiske gave her his most charming smile.

"Y…you were looking for me?" Lynette questioned.

"Indeed I was. I wanted to look around the town a bit before we leave tomorrow. I was hoping you would accompany me. You know? Show me the sights? Maybe get some dinner and a couple of drinks? What do you say?"

"Ummm… I'm underage to drink alcohol Mr. Fiske." Lynnette answered nervously, trying to discourage continuing the conversation.

Unfortunately, Fiske misinterpreted her nervousness at the situation as being shy and coquettish.

"Ahhh, don't worry about that." He said dismissively. "If you're old enough to die for your country you should be old enough to have a couple of drinks if you want to."

As he moved closer Lynette became almost paralyzed with fear. She was at a loss at how to respond. Fiske was so intent on making a conquest he failed to read the atmosphere surrounding them. "It'll be fine. Come on."

He took Lynette by the hand and turned to lead her to the main hall. However, before he could take a single step he felt a sharp blow to his arm and his hand being smacked away from Lynette's.

Startled, he turned around to suddenly find himself with a face full of extremely angry brunette.

"**What are you doing to Lynne-chan?"**

"_What the hell…?"_ he thought to himself.

Then he finally took a good look at what was happening in front of him. Yoshika was standing between himself and Lynette, her arms outstretched to block any attempt he might make to grab her friend again.

For her own part, Lynette was hiding behind Yoshika trembling with fright. She was gripping Yoshika's sleeve tightly and had buried her head into Yoshika's back.

Miyafuji Yoshika very rarely got angry but when she did it was a sight to behold.

"What. Are you doing. To Lynne-chan?" she repeated. She didn't yell this time. She didn't have to. Her voice was like ice and her gaze a smoldering fire. Fiske could tell by the look in the eyes of the diminutive girl. If she didn't receive a satisfactory answer, she was going to beat the living tar out of him.

His mind raced. He was finally putting two and two together and realized he had made a terrible mistake. She wasn't just being shy. She had been genuinely afraid of him. He had completely ignored the obvious body language and suddenly, he felt like a first-class shitheel.

In this case, he decided, honesty was the best policy. He simply hoped it didn't end in a world of hurt.

He bowed to the two. "Sargent Miyafuji, I apologize. To both Sargent Bishop and yourself. I was trying to ask her on a date and I thought she was just a little nervous. I didn't realize…" he paused. "Sargent Bishop… I came on too strong and I didn't pay attention to your feelings. It was wrong of me."

"_Well, that was a bit lame wasn't it?" _The words sounded inadequate, even to himself. "Miss Bishop, please accept my humblest apologies."

Lynette was still unable to look up, but she nodded slightly. Yoshika could see genuine regret in the man's eyes. Her rage subsided, but her anger did not. "Just… just go, ok? I believe you. And we have to work together. If you are truly sorry, we'll just put it behind us."

Fiske couldn't believe his good fortune. He had suddenly been afraid that he would be put on report or that there would be an inquiry. He had definitely dodged a bullet here. He turned away and began to walk back to the main hall when Yoshika called out to him.

Yoshika approached him, making sure she was far enough away from Lynette that she couldn't overhear. She looked upward directly into the tall man's eyes. With a voice that was cold and emotionless and eerily calm, she said. "Fiske-san, if you ever approach her in that manner again… if you ever frighten her like that again… if you even look at her the wrong way…" she narrowed her eyes menacingly. "I won't hold back."

She then turned her back to him and walked over to her still distraught friend. Putting a comforting arm around Lynette's shoulders, Yoshika led her back towards their quarters.

Fiske swallowed hard. _"Whoa… scary!"_

* * *

After his recent brush with death, Pilot William Fiske had lost his taste for sightseeing and womanizing. Instead, he wandered the base aimlessly thinking about how badly he had mishandled the whole situation earlier. Lost in thought, he didn't notice Vince Mallory until the younger man tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Bill. Ah been looking all over for ya. The Louie wants ta talk ta ya." He gave his friend a slightly worried look. "Ummm… he looks kinda pissed off. Wha'd ya do this time?"

"Wonderful." Fiske sighed. "So much for putting it behind us."

Mallory gave him a puzzled look. "Huh?"

"Nothing." He looked up, squaring his shoulders, ready to take whatever punishment was coming. "I may be in the soup again Vince. But it's my own damn fault." He clapped his buddy on the arm. "If I end up in the brig, come visit me ok?"

* * *

Fiske stood outside the door of Lieutenant Hughes' temporary office for a good five minutes, steeling himself for the inevitable. Finally he knocked. "Come." He heard from within. He opened the door to see Lieutenant Hughes sitting behind his desk doing paperwork. "You wanted to see me sir?"

Hughes looked up from his work and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Take a seat Bill." He said in a neutral voice.

"Sir, if this is about earlier today…"

"Shut up and sit down Bill."

"Yes, sir."

Hughes folded his hands on the desk and gave Fiske a serious look. "D'ya nae realize how lucky ya are lad? If they had reported yer actions to their CO ya'd be sitting in the stockade right now. At the _verry_ least. Commander Wilcke is extremely protective a'her officers."

Fiske looked up in surprise. "They didn't report me?"

"Nae, they dinn'a." Hughes answered. "Miss Miyafuji is as good as her word. After yer pathetic little performance, they left the base on a day pass."

"Then, how did you know about…?"

"I was at the end of th' adjacent hallway. I saw th' entire embarrassin' episode." Hughes gave a heavy sigh. "Goddammit Bill, this isn't the first time yer skirt chasing has gotten ya in dutch. Ya do realize, don't ya, that li'l girl could'a mopped th' floor with ya if she chose to? Quite frankly, I was half hoping she would. Ya certainly need _somethin'_ to knock some sense into that thick skull a yers."

Fiske was already ashamed of himself. This dressing down by his commanding officer only made him feel ten times worse.

"Look," Hughes continued. "ya're a decent fella Bill. An' I'm happy to have ya fightin' at m' side. But ya have to stop thinkin' with yer dick. It's unbecomin' and it's unprofessional." He paused for emphasis.

"D' I make m'self clear?"

"Perfectly, sir."

"This mission's supposed ta be a cake walk. But if somethin' unexpected happens… if we end up in a firefight… Christ above lad, how th' hell are those girls supposed to trust ya to watch their backs if they're too worried about ya watchin' their asses?"

"Yes sir. I know sir. I'll find a way to make it up to them. I promise." Fiske stated passionately.

"Hmmp." Hughes grunted. "Dinna make promises ya can't keep laddie."

"Sir, I felt bad about this as soon as it happened. I knew I screwed up royally. I really do want to make it up to them." Fiske said sincerely.

"See that ya do. Otherwise, I'll hold ya down meself and let th' wee lass make good on her threat." Hughes said seriously.

Fiske's face flared red in embarrassment. "You heard that too, huh?" He relaxed a bit as Hughes finally cracked a smile.

"Th' acoustics in these hallways are surprisin'ly good." He stated simply. "That's all. Yer dismissed."

After Fiske finally left the Lieutenant's office he heaved a great sigh of relief. Two bullets dodged today. He had already come to the realization that his luck couldn't hold out forever. And if his aunt ever caught wind of this he shuddered to think about what could happen.

"_You know," _he thought to himself seriously. _"I really __**do **__need to change my ways. Otherwise I'm going to wind up friendless or dead... or both."_

* * *

- _September 12th, 1943 ~ Lieutenant Yeager's Quarters__ ~ 1:14am -_

Charlotte was half-asleep when she heard the outer door to her quarters squeak slightly and tiny bare feet padding towards her bedroom. She turned on her side to see the silhouette of Francisca outlined in her bedroom doorway.

"Shirley?" Francisca said quietly.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" Charlotte asked.

"... yeah, kinda." Francisca answered, hoping Charlotte wouldn't be angry with her for waking her up.

In the darkness Francisca couldn't see Charlotte's warm smile, but the warmth carried through in her voice and set the younger girl at ease. "C'mon then." She lifted the side of her blanket so Francisca could climb in with her.

Francisca dove into the bed and snuggled up to Charlotte with a sigh of contentment. "Thanks Shirley." she said happily and closed her eyes. Charlotte smiled tenderly as she stroked Francisca's hair. "Jeez, kiddo, we might as well move all your crap down here. You practically live here anyway."

"Mmmmmhmmm." Francisca murmured sleepily. Charlotte chuckled softly and settled in to sleep herself.

* * *

- _September 12th, 1943 ~ Enlisted Personnel Quarters__ ~ 2:06 am_ -

Yoshika was plodding back to bed. The cold stone floor under her bare feet made her shiver a bit. Living in an old castle wasn't nearly as awesome as she thought it would be. The whole place was chill and damp inside… even during the summer months. And the hallways went on forever. _"Gosh, you'd think they'd have built the bathrooms closer to the sleeping quarters wouldn't you?"_ she thought to herself.

As she turned the corner to head into her room, she saw a shaft of light from under the door adjacent to her own. _"Lynn-chan's still awake?"_ She tapped lightly on the door. "Lynne-chan. It's me. Are you awake?"

There was only silence and Yoshika was about to walk away when she heard Lynette's voice answer her softly. "Yes. I'm awake Yoshika-chan. Please, come in."

Yoshika opened the door to find Lynette sitting cross-legged on her bed, hugging the large brown Teddy Bear her brothers had sent to her for her birthday. "You couldn't sleep either?" Lynne asked.

"No," Yoshika answered. "I was sleeping fine. I just had to use the bathroom." She entered the room fully and shut the door behind her. "You can't get to sleep?" she asked, her concern clear in her voice. "What's wrong? Is everything OK?"

"Yes." Lynne answered quietly. "Everything's fine."

In spite of her words, it was obvious to Yoshika that she was not fine. Sitting down on the bed next to Lynne she took the older girls hand in her own. "Is it about what happened today?" Lynn nodded.

Yoshika sighed. "I'm sure Fiske-san didn't mean any harm. He seems like a nice person actually, even though I _was_ kinda mean to him."

"I know." Lynne answered in a quiet, dejected voice. "I know it's me. I'm so stupid. I'm such a coward." She began to tear up. "I should have been able to..."

Yoshika cut her off. "Hey, hey... where's all this coming from?" She tucked Lynne under the chin and drew her gaze up to her own. "You're certainly _not_ stupid Lynn-chan. And you are in _no way_ a coward. How could you even think that?"

She felt Lynne grip her hand tighter. "I can't even deal with people like a grown-up. I shouldn't need you to come to my rescue over every little thing. Especially something silly like turning down an offer of a date. I know most men are decent people. I shouldn't be afraid of them, but I can only seem to act normally around my brothers and my f...f...father."

Yoshika noticed her slight stutter as she mentioned her father. She had noticed it in the past as well, whenever Lynne would talk about her family. It only served to make the suspicions Yoshika harbored even stronger. She hoped beyond hope that her suspicions were wrong.

But... it definitely wasn't the time to bring it up so she filed it in the back of her mind. For now.

"People are people Lynne-chan. Some people just aren't good in social situations. It doesn't make you stupid or a coward or _anything_ like that." She took Lynne's head gently in her hands and brushed the tears away with her thumbs. "So don't think like that, ok?"

With a sniffle and a weak smile Lynne nodded a yes. "Good." Yoshika smiled back. "Would you like me to stay here with you tonight?" Lynne nodded yes once more.

"Ok then. Be right back." she hopped off the bed and scampered to her room to get her pillow.

Lynette's emotions were a jumble. She felt so sad and so happy at the same. _"She may not love me the same way I love her, but I know she cares about me. She's my dearest friend. That's enough... right?"_

* * *

_to be continued…_


	5. London Calling!

**A/N - **First and foremost, I'd like to thank my continually awesome Beta reader, Flygon Master, for his critical eye and moral support. I sing his praises.

Secondly (or B or that weird little Roman ii) Zoids Fanatic raised some interesting points that I feel I must address, so here they are, in order:

1.) The razing of Liberion was chronicled in _Strike Witches Suomus Iranko Chūtai - Koisuru _

2.) I can neither confirm or deny this personally, however since western Texas was consumed (following the map) we'll assume for the sake of argument and this story, she was from western Texas somewhere.

3.) If you decide to read, you will find out. It's kinda the purpose of the story.

4.) The end of Season 2 was July, 1945. Season 2 opens with Yoshika's graduation. Since we see a full cycle of seasons during Season 2, this places Yoshika's graduation on or around June 1944. The Battle of Britannia (end of Season 1) was 6 months previous, so on or about December 1943. A second way to confirm this is Yoshika's birthday (at Official site witches-cute dot jp) 8/18/1929. We know in the first season she is 14 and turns 15 with Sanya. Again placing them in 1943.

As to Barkhorn, you are correct sir, and I'll be sure to drop the 'e' here on and fix it when I go in to edit older chapters. As to the ©, I use it when I create artwork based on others properties as well as on my YouTube channel of OP's and ED's. It has served me in good stead and I see no reason to change the practice here. The rest is your carefully considered opinion which I cannot answer to. It is your opinion and I completely respect it. I hope I can do better in your eyes in the future.

Ok that's done, on with the show. Please enjoy this chapter.

As always Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit_  
_

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Five – London Calling!

- _September 13th, 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall__ Shared Flight Facilities _-

**~ Welcome to RAF Mildenhall Open House – Support Our Troops ~**

There were people bustling everywhere. A large stage was being erected in an open area off of the main compound and structures that looked very much like festival booths were under construction as well. Only the presence of television cameras and equipment, bearing the logos of various worldwide news organizations hinted that this was anything but a local community out-reach event.

The seven members of the 501st 's "Propaganda Squad" were met at the front gate by a spunky blond-haired corporal clutching a clipboard to her chest and waving frantically. "Yoo-hoo, over here." The group watched as the girl trotted over to where the transport truck had dropped them. Panting a bit with exertion, she stopped in front of Charlotte and saluted.

"Captain Yeager? Welcome to Mildenhall Airfield. I'm Corporal Donnelly I've been assigned as your liaison during your stay here anything you people need, day or night, I'm your go-to person just leave it to me." She gasped for breath after that one long run-on sentence.

Although highly amused by the scene, Charlotte managed to maintain her composure and answered the young lady seriously. "Thank you Corporal. We'll be counting on you then."

The corporal beamed with pleasure. "If you would all follow me please."

Everyone picked up their bags and followed the corporal into the camp proper. As they moved deeper into the cacophony, it became evident that the structures _were_ festival booths. Gaming booths, food stalls… it looked like a Liberion county fair or a Fuso religious festival.

"Boy, when you guys say 'Open House' you aren't kidding." Fiske noted with a bemused look. "They _do_ know there's a war going on don't they?"

"Oh, yeh. 'Course they do." The corporal said with a grin. "That's just how we all are, you know? Steady on. Business as usual. Teatime is 2:30. Trains are on tic." she winked. "Never underestimate Britannish steadfast determination."

* * *

Major Granby was Mildenhall's PR coordinator, leading Charlotte to wonder when military bases started having a Public Relations office in the first place. The meeting was mercifully short. Basically it involved when to be where, length of the mock engagement, whose hand to shake and appropriate poses for the paparazzi.

"Alright then. It's all sorted. Everyone knows the timetable?" Major Granby looked around at the affirmative nods. "Ok, then kids. Nice work today. You're on your own until 08:30 tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

* * *

After yesterday's incident with Mr. Fiske and all that happened afterwards, Lynette's feelings for Yoshika had re-ignited even more strongly. She told herself she wasn't going to just give up. There _was_ something there. She could feel it.

She knew what she wanted. What she needed to do was fight for it.

As it turned out, an opportunity presented itself almost immediately. Lynette had the idea as soon as she found out they were on liberty for the day. She decided to push through with it before she lost her nerve.

"Yoshika-chan? I know this area of London quite well. I attended school in West End." Yoshika looked at her curiously. "I know some really interesting places. I could show you around, if you would like me too."

Yoshika smiled at the idea of spending time alone with Lynette and answered enthusiastically. "Hai!"

Lynette was turning cartwheels in her mind. She had someplace special she wanted to share with Yoshika, but she had never thought it would be possible. She couldn't believe her good fortune.

There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Yoshika called out. Charlotte stuck her head in. "Hey. We're all going out to wander around the city for a while. You two should come along."

Lynette's joy evaporated instantly. "_**NO!**_" she screamed in her head. "_**no no no no no no no no**__._" She struggled to keep her emotions in check. "Um… well, w-we… I-I mean…" she stammered.

Yoshika noticed her friend's discomfort immediately and came to her rescue. "Actually Shirley-san, Lynne-chan wanted to show me her old school and neighborhood." She smiled brightly. "That's ok, right?"

"Of course it is. You guys have fun. Just be back on base by 2130 hours. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." She gave the girls a wink. "Stay out of trouble." The door shut and the tension visibly flowed out of Lynne's body.

"Thank you Yoshika-chan." Lynne said gratefully.

"Sure." Yoshika answered warmly, continuing to put her clothes away. "I was looking forward to spending time with you, too."

* * *

Fiske and Mallory were waiting for the others in the barracks entrance hall. Fiske stood up when he spotted Charlotte and Francisca approaching.

"So, are they joining us?" he asked, wondering why the two girls had arrived alone.

"They've already made their plans for the day." Charlotte told him. "How about Lieutenant Hughes? Is he going to tag along?"

"Nope. He had some documents to drop off with the base CO." Fiske answered. "Afterwards he said he plans to visit with his family."

"Ok. Well, just us then." Exclaimed the redhead cheerfully. "Let's go get up to something."

* * *

London was simply overwhelming for Yoshika. Everywhere she turned, she saw something new and fascinating. Having been born and raised in a medium-sized coastal village the sheer volume of people was mindboggling in and of itself. West End, where Lynette had brought her, was an area dominated by bookstores, art galleries and performance spaces.

Lynette loved the curiosity, enthusiasm and delight Yoshika showed toward everything new. Her petite angel seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for learning. Although she hid it well underneath her bouncy and air-headed personality Yoshika was quite the little intellectual. Over the course of their time together Lynette was often astounded by breadth and depth of her knowledge of random and seemingly unrelated subjects.

Lynne took note that Yoshika's only large purchase wasn't for herself, but for her grandmother. A leather-bound first edition by chemist Bowden Grey, easily costing three months wages. She looked on with adoration as the tiny brunette paged through the book mumbling excitedly. "sugoi... cross-referenced formulary... liner notes... case studies… she'll absolutely love this." She practically danced up to the checkout counter clasping the book close to her chest. In Lynette's eyes Yoshika was shining like the sun.

As they continued shopping and chatting, seeing the sights and enjoying each other's company – the war and the problems of the world seemed to fade to insignificance.

Four hours had passed without either one noticing, until Yoshika's stomach growled in protest. A light pink flush colored her cheeks. Lynette found her embarrassment rather adorable.

"We should get some lunch Yoshika-chan. I'm getting a bit hungry too." She looked around to get her bearings. "Oh. I know just the place. Come on."

Taking the younger girl's hand, she led her down the sidewalk. Soon they were standing in front of a classic brick structure with large bay windows overlooking an outdoor garden and dining area. Even the outdoor tables were covered in fine linen and set with sparkling crystal glassware and sterling silver utensils. Above the door was an expertly crafted wooden sign reading 'Foxcroft & Ginger'.

Yoshika's eyes widened in panic and she ground to a halt. She didn't imagine she could even afford a slice of cake from a place like this, let alone lunch. Lynne was puzzled to see the normally unreserved Yoshika look intimidated, until she gave it some thought. Knowing the cute little Fuso girl was from humble origins, she decided to take the initiative for once and help her feel comfortable in this strange environment.

"Lunch is on me Yoshika-chan. Don't worry about a thing." Lynne said excitedly. "My family runs an account here and I've never even come close to the limit." Seeing the look on Lynne face was all it took to overcome any objections. She allowed herself to be led onto the terrace.

After a long and leisurely lunch, the two girls went back strolling the sidewalks. As they were walking past a creamery, Lynette was once more seized by inspiration. She had Yoshika wait for her on the sidewalk and quickly ran in. She returned with two chocolate milkshakes.

Yoshika accepted the offered treat, and her face lit up after her first sip. "Sugoi! Lynne-chan." she looked up wide-eyed. "This... this is **awesome**!" Lynne giggled in delight at her friends' reaction.

The lengthening shadows signaled afternoon was well under way. Lynette, who had been uncharacteristically outgoing all day suddenly seemed to revert to her normal self. She stopped walking and when Yoshika turned towards her questioningly, the honey-brown haired girl gave her a shy glance. This moment had been her goal the entire day. She simply couldn't back down now.

"A-actually Yoshika-chan... there is a place I wanted to take you. A really special place to me. It's where I used to go whenever I needed to be alone." she managed to look Yoshika bashfully in the eyes. "I've never taken anyone there before. But I-I'd really like to share it with you."

Yoshika couldn't believe what she was hearing. This entire day had been like some wonderful dream. Spending time alone with the girl she loved. Learning more about her and about the city she had grown up in. And now... the ease with which Lynne was opening up to her. Was it possible? Could she still, maybe, have a chance with her after all?

"I'd be happy to go wherever you want to take me Lynne-chan." She answered softly.

* * *

The residential neighborhoods were quiet and peaceful, quite a contrast from the rest of the city surrounding them. They approached an elegant row home, a stately granite affair with wrought-iron accents.

"This is my Aunt's home. I lived here while I attended Gladwyyn." she opened the gate for Yoshika and gestured for her to enter. "She should be out of the country right now, but the staff will be on duty." She rang the doorbell and soon a serious-looking older man wearing a black formal suit opened the door.

The man's serious look disappeared as soon as he saw who was standing at the door. He smiled happily and his eyes crinkled in unconcealed joy. "Miss Lynette! How wonderful to see you. Please come right in." He opened the door fully and bowed as they entered.

"Hello Klaus. I've missed you so much." she said warmly. "How is everyone? How is Marci?"

"Everyone is quite well, Miss." Klaus answered, taking the girls' coats. "But look at you. You're all grown up now, and so quickly." he turned to hang up their coats. "Your brothers and your aunt have kept us informed of your career. May I say Miss, we are all quite proud of you."

The effusive praise caused Lynette to squirm a bit self-consciously. "Thank you, Klaus." she turned. "Klaus, this is Sargent Miyafuji Yoshika. She's my squad-mate and a very good friend."

Klaus faced Yoshika and bowed deeply. "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Miyafuji. I thank you for your service. You are very welcome in our home." Yoshika returned the bow. "Thank you, sir."

The servant led the two into the house proper. "Well, what brings you by this fine evening? Would you like us to prepare a dinner for you and your friend?"

"Oh, no, thank you. We had a late lunch. We're on liberty and I just thought I'd show Yoshika around the city a bit." Lynne explained. "We actually came by so I could show Yoshika-chan the arboretum if that's all right."

"Of course it is Miss. You don't even need to ask. This will always be your home as well after all." Klaus assured her. "Are you sure I can't get you anything? Tea perhaps?"

"If you could send up some tea, that would be wonderful."

* * *

The four wandering pilots had sampled almost every type of food they could find from the various street vendors, watched pavement artists, struggled through two acts of an open-air performance of Shakespeare's '_As You Like It' _and threw money in Trafalgar Square Fountain.

As evening was coming on, they found themselves in an older section of the city. Wandering semi-aimlessly, slowly making their way back to the airbase, Charlotte and Fiske were trailing behind the two youngsters.

"Arrgh." Francisca griped. "Bored now. There has to be _something_ else to do." She looked sideways at Mallory. The Liberion boy gave her an 'I give up' gesture. "Don' look at me. I got nothin'."

"What do you guys normally do for fun when you're off duty?" Fiske asked.

Before he could receive an answer they all heard a metallic crash from down the alleyway they had just walked past. A woman's voice called out for help. They all glanced at each other briefly and ran back to the mouth of the alley.

At the far end, two rather rough-looking thugs were tormenting their prey, a well-dressed older couple who looked completely out of their element. The tall one was holding the two at knife-point while the fat one rifled through the woman's purse.

Francisca gave Charlotte a pleading look _"_Shirley… can I?"

"Knock yourself out kiddo." The older girl grinned. "You need to work off some of that nervous energy anyway."

With a loud whoop Francisca invoked her spirit animal and launched herself down the dark alley at top speed. Startled by the loud noise, 'Knife Guy' (as Francisca had dubbed him in her mind), turned to the source of the sound. All that registered in the split-second before impact was a four-foot-nothing blur of sneakers and pigtails.

Francisca jumped throwing her right leg out and rigid, allowing momentum to do most of the work. There was a loud crack as the man's jaw was dislocated. He reeled for an instant and then dropped like a log.

The momentum carried her past her target, hurtling towards a dumpster. She tucked her body and spun to land on the dumpster's edge, immediately shoving off to leap on 'Fat Guy' who was still holding the purse. She had actually planned all this out ahead of time. Shirley was going to be so proud of her.

She nailed 'Fat Guy' square in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and dumping him, unceremoniously, on his ass. He already looked scared out of his wits but, just to juice him a bit more, Francisca gave him a guttural snarl showing her fang menacingly.

'Fat Guy' scrambled to his feet and ran screaming in terror. 'Knife Guy' was out cold and wouldn't be waking up any time soon. It was done so quickly the victims were unsure as to what had just happened. Francisca stooped to retrieve the woman's purse.

"Here you are ma'am." Francisca handed the woman her purse. "Are you hurt at all?" The older woman stared at the little Romangian dumbfounded. "Umm... no... no... I'm fine. T-thank you so much, Miss...?"

"Ensign Francisca Lucchini, at your service." she answered, throwing a snappy salute in the process. Charlotte's loud whistle pierced the air. "Oops, gotta go. You guys be careful out there. Ciao." She scampered back to the group.

Mallory was applauding and pumping his fist in the air. "That was so awesome Lucchini." He enthused. "Whadda ya call that first move? That was, like, devastating."

"Hmmm..." Francisca thought for a moment. "I'll call it 'Super Lucchini Kick'." she announced, striking a pose and giving a thumbs up. Sharing a laugh, the group continued on down the street.

"Ah," Fiske observed. "so _this_ is what you guys do for fun."

Charlotte gave him a lopsided grin. "Eh, it beats Canasta."

* * *

Yoshika followed Lynne up the carpeted stairs. She noticed the solemn air surrounding the girl. Whatever it was Lynne wanted to show her, she instinctively knew it was something meaningful and deeply personal. Rather than try to create a light-hearted atmosphere as she normally would, Yoshika decided to follow her friends' lead. She felt hyper-aware of the subtle cues Lynette's body language was giving off.

They reached the third floor. She continued to follow as Lynne walked confidently over to a set of oak double doors. These opened into an antechamber with a lush carpet and a number of overstuffed easy chairs. Built-in bookcases comprised the two far walls and beyond that a single step down took you into the main part of the room.

There were flowers and plants everywhere. The scent that filled the room… not only of plant life, but of soil and moisture, was indescribable. The darker room décor and the bright foliage contrasted in a pleasant, almost organic, fashion. A feeling of utter peace suffused the room.

"This is my special place Yoshika-chan." Lynne stated simply.

Yoshika was at a loss for words. All she could manage at the moment was an acknowledgment. "It's wonderful Lynne-chan."

They both stepped down into the arboretum. "Some of these are medicinal herbs." Yoshika noted with interest.

"Really?" Lynette asked curiously.

"Hai. This is Crocosmia Aurea. It's used for treating dysentery. And this is Actaea Racemosa. It can be used to treat muscle inflammation and arthritis." Yoshika explained.

Lynette gave her a crooked smile. "I thought they were just pretty flowers."

Yoshika smiled back. "They are also that."

A light knock at the door and a maid entered carrying a silver tray. Porcelain teacups, a carafe of fresh cream, sugar cubes and a tray of biscuits. The maid bowed and left silently.

Lynne poured the tea and they drank in a comfortable silence. Eventually Lynne got up and walked around a bit, unconsciously making physical contact with many of the objects in the room. A globe. A chair. The curtains. She seemed almost nostalgic.

"When I started attending classes at Gladwyyn I was so nervous. I was the new kid." She gave a self-depreciating laugh. "Three years later, when I graduated, I was _still_ the 'new kid'." Although not facing Yoshika she was still speaking to her.

"Mother died when I was 10. My brothers were either just graduating or already enlisted in the military. So, it was only F-father and myself. When I was accepted into Gladwyyn, my aunt offered to let me live here." She turned to face Yoshika. "I discovered this room a few days after I got here. Soon it became my favorite place. To study or just be alone with my thoughts." She turned back to the bookcase once more.

"When I'm here it's like the world doesn't exist. Nothing can disturb me here. Nothing can reach me here." Her fingers absently stroked the spines of the books. "He can't touch me here."

Yoshika realized immediately that last statement had slipped out so subconsciously that Lynette herself was unaware she had said it. Suddenly everything fell into place in her mind and solidified her deepest suspicions. Lynne's reticent personality, her discomfort with strangers, her difficulty dealing with men, her awkwardness in social settings, her stutter...

Having lived and fought beside Lynne she had seen the girl face fears and overcome them. She knew Lynette was a strong person. But this fear… it was too dark, too horrible to be borne alone. In a world without a mother, without anyone to trust, without anyone to talk to, the pressure to preserve her family's social status - Lynette had no choice but to turn inward to protect whatever part of herself she still had.

The sudden revelation was almost too much for Yoshika. She wanted to burst into tears. That Lynne had to live with this pain and fear for all this time and all alone. She wanted nothing more that to gather the girl in her arms and protect her with all that she had. What little psychological knowledge she possessed told her that now was not the time for that.

Lynne was opening to her now more and more, however, when one is the most open is also when they are the most vulnerable. But being comfortable enough around Yoshika that she could let some things slip out, even if only subconsciously, aided in relieving the pressure on her mind.

Yoshika knew she could do nothing directly. She didn't have proper training. She could easily do more harm than good. What she _could_ do was be there for her, help to support her emotionally and do her best to guide Lynne into seeking out someone who could help her.

She kept her voice carefully neutral. "I can see why this place is so special to you Lynne-chan. Thank you for showing it to me."

"You're my dearest friend Yoshika-chan. I've never had someone in my life that I could trust so completely." Lynne stated sincerely. "You've helped me so much, just by being my friend, I can't begin to tell you what that *yawwwn* means to me."

Yoshika patted the sofa next to her indicating that Lynne should sit down. "You look a little tired Lynne-chan. We still have three and a half hours before we have to report in. We should catch a quick nap."

Lynne nodded and sat down. She didn't object when Yoshika slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her down to rest her head in Yoshika's lap. They sat awhile longer in the peaceful silence.

Lynette gave a contented sigh. "Thank you."

"Hmmm?"

"For today." She continued. "For this. For being my friend."

"The same goes for me Lynne-chan." Yoshika answered sincerely.

"After I met you I realized something." Lynette murmured sleepily. "Something important."

"What did you realize?" Yoshika asked quietly, gently stroking Lynette's loose tresses.

"You can't really appreciate how beautiful something is unless you share it with someone." She whispered. Soon her breathing became soft and even. She was fast asleep, safe under Yoshika's tender gaze.

Honey-gold light poured into the small arboretum, cast by the slowly setting sun, giving everything it touched an almost ethereal glow. The cityscape below had already fallen to the cool oranges and purples of dusk. Streetlights began to flare on here and there like stars twinkling in the night sky.

"_You're right Lynne-chan. It is beautiful."_ Yoshika thought, her emotions catching in her throat. _"And I'm so very happy that you chose me to share it with."_

* * *

… _to be continued…_


	6. Peace, Love and Understanding

**A/N -** Hello everyone. Thanks for following this story so far. We're moving along nicely now. I believe I have brought my tendency to rush under control, as reflected by this chapter's huge (for me so far) 7,000+ word count. Lot's of things happening this chapter and I hope you really get a feel of the time and place.

For those who have been patiently waiting for sweet sweet Lynnoshika action, you will be rewarded here. We will also address the social and sexual mores of this universe, learn a bit more about the M.A.G.U.S. and watch Charlotte and Fiske reach an understanding through Jazz, cigars and beer.

All praise once again to my awesome Beta Reader, Flygon Master. Critical eye, inspirational cheerleader and someone who is becoming a good friend. Having feedback** before** the fact is invaluable. Thanks Flygon-sama.

I would love to see more reviews, so please feel free to weigh in and let me know how I'm doing. Thank you for reading.

As always Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Six – Peace, Love and Understanding

-_- September 13th, 1943 ~ The Home of Ellen Darnell -_-

"Miss Miyafuji?"

Yoshika sleepily opened her eyes in response to the voice that was gently trying to awaken her. It took her fuzzy head a few seconds to register where she was. She looked up with bleary eyes. "Klaus-san?"

"I am terribly sorry to disturb you both," he said quietly "but I thought you should know that it is 9pm."

Yoshika's eyes opened wide. "Oh! Oh no. We have to be back on base in half an hour. We'll never make it in time."

This was all her fault, she thought. She had wanted Lynne to rest, knowing that she had been tired from their long day out as well as the now obvious stress she always carried inside of her. She had intended to watch over her, not meaning to fall asleep herself. Before she could panic Klaus placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"I anticipated as much Miss." Klaus told her, still speaking quietly so as not to wake Lynette. "I took the liberty of having the car brought around. We can have you both back to the base in minutes. Please don't worry."

"Sou desu ka? Klaus-san arigato gozaimasu." Yoshika breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll await you both downstairs." Klaus told her. "Please ask Miss Lynette to stop in the kitchen on her way down. My wife made her a CARE package." He gave Yoshika a wink. "I know it contains a batch of the butter toffee biscuits she loves so well."

Like the stately older gentleman he was, Klaus bowed to her once more and silently made his way out of the room.

Yoshika looked down at the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully in her lap. She hated the thought of disturbing her but they really needed to leave. She leaned over and whispered softly into Lynette's ear. "Lynne-chan, gomenasai, we have to get up now."

Lynette smiled although her eyes remained closed. "It all right Yoshika-chan. I'm awake." She remained lying in Yoshika's lap as she sleepily stretched her arms and arched her body. She finished by turning face up and then opened her eyes and looked directly into Yoshika's own.

Lynette looked… different, Yoshika thought. Something in her eyes was different. Even under normal circumstances, everyday life, Lynne always looked slightly uneasy. She never made extended eye contact with anyone, shifting her gaze as if fearing scrutiny. Away from unfamiliar people she would almost visibly shrink into herself.

But now, Lynette's eyes were clear and full of life. No… more than that. They were the eyes of someone who had come to terms with something... who had set a great weight aside. She was still Lynette, but it seemed as if the Lynette she knew had been a slightly blurred version – trapped in amber – and had now broken free of her prison.

"_What… happened?"_ Yoshika wondered.

The gentle smile Lynette wore filled Yoshika with such a radiant warmth. "Hello."

"Hello. Are you feeling ok?"

"Mmmmhmmmm." Lynette answered as she stretched once more. "Marci's butter toffee biscuits. I can't wait." Locking eyes with Yoshika once more she reached up and caressed her cheek in an intimate manner. "Are you ready?"

Yoshika suddenly found she had forgotten how to breathe. All she could manage was to nod yes. The little brunette was absolutely stunned by the manner in which Lynette was acting. Forthright… flirtatious even, like she had been earlier in the day. The intensity of the older girls gaze had her mesmerized.

Lynette sat up shaking off the remaining drowsiness clouding her mind. Standing and offering Yoshika her hand, she said "Shall we go then?"

Yoshika took the offered hand, allowing Lynette to pull her up from the sofa. She got another surprise when Lynette wrapped her arms around Yoshika's waist and drew her close. Hugging the tiny brunette tightly she spoke softly in her ear. "Thank you so much for today. I cannot imagine having a more wonderful day or spending it with a more wonderful person."

Lynne then pulled back a bit so she could look at Yoshika directly. "You mean everything in the world to me. I just want you to know that." Releasing her hold, Lynette turned and headed for the door.

It took Yoshika a moment to collect herself. She just stood there processing everything that had just happened over the last two minutes. Savoring the feeling of Lynette's arms around her, of Lynette's warm breath as she whispered in her ear, of Lynette's sparkling eyes holding her captive…

"Are you coming Yoshika-chan?"

"Oh! H-hai."

* * *

Klaus was just about to walk out the door when the girls reached the main foyer. "Ah, Miss Lynette. I'll be waiting in the car for you. I believe you still have a few minutes. Marci has been waiting to see you, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Lynette said. "Thank you so much Klaus."

"Not at all Miss." The butler answered with a smile.

Lynne turned to Yoshika, clasping both of her hands. "I really wanted you to meet Marci but we simply don't have the time right now. I hope one day you will come back here with me so I can introduce you properly."

"I will Lynne-chan. I promise." Yoshika assured her. "Ano… my head's still a bit muzzy from that nap. I'll wait for you outside, ok? I think some fresh air will wake me up."

"Okay. I'll be as quick as I can." Releasing Yoshika's hands, Lynne hurried down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Yoshika watched her disappear into a doorway and then she walked out the front entrance. The crisp night air filled her lungs and cleared her mind. Zipping up her jacket and stuffing her hands in the pockets, she leaned against the granite railing of the porch and raised her head to take in the night sky.

Not many stars were visible due to the light pollution a massive city like London threw off, but some shone through. The smell of fireplaces lit against the autumn chill tinged the air. It was quiet save for the background noise of the occasional vehicle passing by.

"_She loves me. She's been trying so hard to tell me all this time and I've been blind to it."_

Yoshika thought back to all the times they had shared since they had met a few months earlier. The memories of everything that made Lynette so special to Yoshika came to the forefront of her mind.

And also… that day… That horrible day.

Looking at it from this perspective, she suddenly realized that both of them had probably misunderstood the entire situation. She had been angry about Commander Minna's seemingly unfair restrictions on the flight crew. She was upset because she felt like the men were being discriminated against. But… what if Lynne thought she was upset for an entirely different reason?

They had both jumped to conclusions. Lynette because of her low self-esteem and herself because she was being completely stupid.

She thought about today's events.

Yoshika replayed the entire day in her mind. Lynette had been attentive and engaged. Yoshika was so happy to see her friend truly enjoying herself that she hadn't given any thought as to **why** she seemed so different. Little intimate gestures made during their outing recalled themselves to her. Then coming here… their interaction in the arboretum – Lynne's special place.

"_Lynne-chan planned the entire day around us arriving at this point. Her equivalent of hitting me over the head with a 2x4."_ A regretful smile tugged at her lips. _"I truly am an idiot. How could I not see it?"_

"_Lynne-chan," _she thought sadly_ "please forgive me. I didn't understand. But I do now." _

Determination filled her soul.

"_I love you too and tonight I will let you know. I'm sorry for making you wait so long."_

* * *

Lynette entered the warmly lit kitchen. There, sitting at the table sipping her tea was Marci. Like her husband Klaus, she was in her mid-50's. Even wearing a maid's uniform, she projected a motherly aura that Lynette had cherished after the passing of her own mother.

Marci got up from the table and rushed to Lynne, enveloping her in a warm hug. "Hello, dear. It's good to see you." She was beaming even though tears threatened to spill out. "I've missed you so very much."

Lynette was also overcome with emotion. For over three years this woman had taken care of her, worried over her and loved her as much as she did her own children. "I'm sorry I didn't make more time to visit Marci. I didn't even know I was coming until this morning."

"It's all right dear, I understand. You're doing a very important job." The older woman assured her. "I know you haven't forgotten us."

They broke apart from their hug and Lynette took a nostalgic look around the kitchen. The arrangement of fresh flowers on the wide windowsill. The biscuit jar, as always, filled with Marci's baked goods. But the refrigerator looked different. It was plastered with photos and news clippings held by magnets or scotch-tape. They covered the side and part of the door.

Photos of Capel-le-Ferne and of her squadron. Most of them, however, were of her… usually along with another member of the squadron. And in the majority of those, Yoshika was the squad member she was pictured with. Marci followed her gaze.

"The 501st are in the news a lot it seems." She said with an air of pride in her voice. "You and your friends are really amazing Lynne. You've grown so much… done so well. I'm so very proud of you"

She took Lynette's hand and together they walked over to the refrigerator. She pointed at one of the pictures. "That's the girl you brought with you, right?"

Lynette blushed slightly. "Yes. Her name is Yoshika." She answered breathlessly. "She's my most precious friend. I wanted you to meet her, but I… kind of fell asleep." She finished in embarrassment.

"Klaus told me she seems like a fine young lady." Marci said kindly. "So... when are you going to tell her?"

"Huh?" Lynne looked confused. "Tell her?"

"That you're in love with her." Marci stated simply.

Lynette's eyes opened wide. "How…?"

"How did I know?" she gave Lynne a gentle smile and stroked her hair. "My dear, I've raised four daughters. I certainly know the look of a girl in love."

"Well, I-I'm working on that now, actually. I've been dropping a lot of hints lately. Especially today." Laughing softly, she added, "Yoshika is very smart, but sometimes she can be completely clueless."

"Hmm. Sounds like Klaus." Marci chuckled. Lynne hugged her again tightly. Marci held her tenderly and they remained like that for a moment. Lynne had missed this warmth and feeling of security.

Reluctantly, Lynette finally broke the embrace. "I'm so sorry, but I really have to go." Her voice was full of regret. "If we're not back at the base on time we'll get into trouble."

"I know dear. It's alright." Marci assured her. "Best get going then. Just promise me you'll come home again as soon as you are able."

"I promise I will. Is… is it ok to bring Yoshika with me too?"

"You'd **better** bring her. I want to meet this girl who has stolen your heart."

Lynette giggled happily. Glancing at the kitchen counter she spied something else. Giving Marci her best puppy-dog look she said. "Ummm… butterrr tofffeeee?"

The maid looked heavenward with a poorly-suppressed grin, then walked over to the counter near the stove and picked up a box carefully wrapped in plain brown paper. She handed the package to Lynette, ruffled her hair and kissed her on the cheek. Then, grabbing her shoulders, she spun the girl around and shooed her out the door with a pat on the behind.

"Off with you."

She waved goodbye... and allowed the tears to come.

"_Please take good care of yourself Lynette. Please come home safely."_

* * *

The sound of the opening door pulled Yoshika from her thoughts. Lynette closed the door gently and turned to face her friend. She looked extremely happy, Yoshika thought, although it looked as if she had been crying a bit too. It was quite obvious that these people meant a lot to Lynette.

She wished they didn't have to rush. Lynne had been looking more alive than she had ever seen. She hoped it would continue. They walked to the car together. Klaus got out and opened the rear door. He took each girl firmly by the hand and assisted them in.

He looked through the window at Lynne and his serious, professional face melted into a grin. He winked at her and said "You've only got 10 minutes Miss. I believe this could technically be considered a matter of State, wouldn't you think?"

Yoshika was confused. Even more so when Lynne's only response was to smile and nod.

They started moving quickly down the residential street and soon came to a main artery. Klaus pulled in to traffic and immediately cut into the far-right lane where punched the accelerator, passing car after car. Yoshika leaned over to Lynne and whispered. "Isn't Klaus-san worried about getting a speeding ticket?"

"My Aunt Ellen works for the Foreign Ministry." Lynne explained with a hint of amused embarrassment. "This car has Diplomatic plates. We could probably rob a bank and not get pulled over."

When Yoshika arched her eyebrow Lynne chuckled. "Well, maybe not rob a bank but…" Both of them laughed.

The ride continued on in a comfortable silence. Yoshika watched the streets of London pass by and began thinking about what she was going to do tonight and how she was going to do it. Unnoticed by Yoshika, Lynette had been carefully unwrapping her package. She was lost in thought, staring out of the window when Lynette suddenly startled her.

"Yoshika-chan!"

When Yoshika jerked her head around Lynette stuffed a cookie into her mouth. She was rewarded by the comical look of confusion on Yoshika's face.

"Butter Toffee Biscuit." Lynne said simply with a playful look. "They're addictive."

As Yoshika munched on the cookie Lynette leaned her head to rest on Yoshika's shoulder. Once more Yoshika felt completely flustered. Her pulse raced.

"_She's being so adorable. I'm going to confess to her. And I know she'll say yes… probably. So why do I feel so nervous? I don't **do** 'nervous'."_

Jittery butterflies danced in her stomach.

"_This is either going to be a lot easier than I thought or a lot harder than I thought."_

* * *

- _September 13th, 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall__ – Officers Club – 22:06 hours _-

Charlotte sat at a table in a darker corner of the bar along with Corporal Fiske, a Jack and Coke and a second pitcher of beer. They were pleasantly buzzed and were watching Francisca and Vince Mallory shoot pool.

"They certainly get along well." Charlotte observed.

"Yeah." Fiske agreed. "I think Vince is really enjoying hanging out with someone closer to his own age for once." he laughed. "To him, Padric and I are the 'old guys'."

Charlotte laughed as well. "I know what you mean. I'm not even 20 but I feel old compared to Lucchini, Miyafuji and Bishop."

Fiske rocked his chair back on two legs and fished around in his pocket for a cigar. He bit the tip and lit it. Noticing Charlotte watching with interest he asked. "You want one?"

"Hell, yes. A necessity when drinking." She reached over and took the offered cheroot. She got it lit, took a few puffs and sat back in contentment. "I know it bothers some people, but I just love the smell of these. It really takes me back."

Fiske took a sip of his beer and waited for Charlotte to continue.

"I used to hang out with my granddad a lot. His office and the hanger always smelled like cigar smoke. So cigars just remind me of good times."

"Hanger?" Fiske questioned. "Was he a pilot too?"

"Yup. He was a pilot in the World War and in his later years he ran a crop dusting service. Did some barnstorming too. Texans love that stuff." Her smile was happy but wistful.

"He taught me to how fly a plane, how to ride a motorcycle. He gave me his old Indian Chief for my 12th birthday. And this jacket," she tugged the collar "although it was way too big for me at the time."

"That's pretty cool." Fiske grinned. He then stood up and headed for the back wall. "I'm gonna go feed the juke, you wanna hear anything in particular."

Charlotte scrunched her brow in thought. "Charlie Parker? John Coltrane would be sweet if they got him."

The Corporal nodded in approval. "You're into hard bop? Awesome."

While Fiske was occupied Charlotte once again turned her scrutiny to the youngsters. It looked like Mallory had won the current round. Francisca was playfully punching him in the arm.

Fiske sat back down at the table just as the first few chords of 'Tracitisim' started playing. Charlotte gave him a surprised look. "Oscar Peterson? No way. Sweet!"

They sat for a while just enjoying the music and their cigars. A shout rang out as Mallory won yet another round of pool, leading Charlotte to believe that Francisca was most likely letting him win. Not obviously though. She was making him work for it.

"I wonder if he likes her?" Charlotte mused.

"Well, yeah. I'm sure he does, but not in the way that you mean. Vince is gay." Fiske explained. "Actually, that's kinda how he ended up with us in the first place."

Charlotte was intrigued. "How do you mean?"

Fiske hesitated for a moment but decided there was no harm in telling the story. "When he told his parents his dad kicked him out of the house. Told him to never come back..."

"What the fuck's with that?" Charlotte interrupted. "It's no big deal. Christ, same-sex marriage has been legal in Liberion since, what, 1923?"

"Yeah, I know. But Vince is from a particularly deep part of the Deep South. For some of those flatlanders it's still the 1800's, y'know?" He sighed. "Poor kid. I know it hurt him pretty badly. You can tell he still idolizes his dad even though he was treated so shabbily."

"So," he continued "long story short, Vince enlisted and ended up testing with a high aptitude for aviation. He was already through the program when it was found out that he had lied about his age. He would have been discharged but he was only a couple of months short at that point. Rather than having wasted all that time and money training him, they just placed him on administrative leave until his birthday."

He filled his glass once more, emptying the pitcher. Charlotte turned towards the bar signaling for another, then turned her attention back to Fiske.

"So, as things worked out, we ended up babysitting him." He smiled at the memory. "Padric… Lt. Hughes I mean and I were both on medical furlough from a pretty bad engagement. We were the only two survivors of our squadron, so we were at loose ends until we were to get slotted again."

Charlotte gave him a questioning look. "The only two survivors? What happened?"

"The Battle of Khartoum." He stated simply.

Charlotte drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, my god. You were 42nd Airborne?"

Fiske nodded shortly.

Charlotte reached across the table and placed her hand over his, giving it a squeeze. "I'm so sorry."

"We lost a lot of good people that day. I lost a lot of good friends." Fiske looked at her slightly misty-eyed. "But in the end, there we were and we ended up taking Vince under our wing. He became our way of focusing on getting past everything. Padric took him home on leave and now his wife has pretty much adopted him." His smile became more genuine again. "When we're off duty, Padric treats him like a surrogate son. I guess we three are pretty close."

"And, as it turned out, we were in the right place at the right time to get picked for the M.A.G.U.S. program." He chuckled at the irony. "Two messed up guys without a squadron and one wet-behind-the-ears kid. A match made in heaven."

They sat again in silence for a while, simply drinking and enjoying the atmosphere. Their liaison, Corporal Donnelly, approached them. "Excuse me, ma'am. I checked the duty log like you asked. Sargent Bishop and Sargent Miyafuji signed in at 21:23."

"Thanks Corporal." Charlotte acknowledged. "Hmm. I wonder why they didn't show up? I left a note on their door telling them we would be here."

"Well, there _was_ a note on their door," Donnelly informed her "but it said 'Do Not Disturb'."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Really?" A smile formed on her lips. "Well then, I guess we shouldn't disturb them."

She gestured to the chair opposite her own. "Can we buy you a drink Corporal?"

"Thank you ma'am, but I still have a ton of stuff left to do to get ready for tomorrow." She gave a salute and headed out the door.

Charlotte turned her attention back to Fiske. "That reminds me, what's up between you and Sargent Miyafuji? She was giving you some pretty intense glares at dinner yesterday. It was definitely out of character for her."

Fiske had been hoping the subject wouldn't come up but there was no avoiding it. He hoped Captain Yeager wouldn't be too angry with him. It felt like they were just becoming friends and he was sure her attitude would change now. But he wasn't going to lie to her.

So he laid it all out for her. How he tried to score with Sargent Bishop, her reaction and his ignorance and Sargent Miyafuji's intervention. All of it.

He finished the story and glanced at Charlotte to gauge her reaction. To his amazement, she burst out laughing. "Well, that explains a lot. I was going to say Yoshika wouldn't hurt a fly. But if that fly deigned to disturb her Princess she'd probably commit fly genocide."

"So they **are** together. I figured that out after the fact."

"Sadly, no." Charlotte told him.

"Huh?"

"It's obvious they are madly in love with one another." Charlotte sighed. "Everyone can see it except themselves. And so far, neither one has had the courage to do anything about it."

Fiske raised his shot-glass. "Ah youth."

Charlotte raised hers as well. "Indeed."

They both knocked back their drinks and slammed the glasses on the table.

"Set up another round?" Charlotte asked her fellow Liberion aviator.

"You buying?"

"Sure, why not. I got an increase in pay grade along with my promotion." She said happily.

Fiske flashed her a grin. "Outstanding."

* * *

Yoshika and Lynette walked down the hall towards their room. Approaching their door they saw a note taped to it. Out of the corner of her eye, Yoshika noticed Lynne furrow her brow slightly as she read the note.

_**We're all at the Officer's Club.  
**__**You should come join us when  
**__**you get back. - Shirley**_

"Do you want to go Yoshika-chan?"

"Not really. I just want to stay in and relax for the rest of the night." Yoshika told her. "Is that ok?"

Lynette successfully kept the look of relief off her face. "Yes. I feel the same way. I just want to get cleaned up and ready for bed."

Yoshika peeled the note from the door and opened it for Lynne to enter. She placed the note on the desk by her bed while Lynne walked over to the desk on her side of the room and started to unpack her Care package.

"Oh. Marci put in a box of Earl Gray." Lynette noticed. "We have a hot pot. Would you like me to heat up some water and make us both a cup of tea?"

"That would be swell Lynne-chan." Snagging a towel, a pair of panties and her nightgown Yoshika headed for the bathroom. "I'll grab a quick shower while you're doing that, ok? That way you can take your time in the shower."

"Ok, Yoshika-chan. Thank you." Lynette answered as Yoshika closed the door.

_"She's always so thoughtful of me in everything she does."_ Lynette's fist clenched in determination. _"She does all she can to show me how much she cares. Marci was right. I __**have**__ to say something. I have to tell her. Tonight"_

Yoshika emerged from the bathroom in short order, toweling her hair, a cloud of steam and the fresh scent of soap accompanying her. "I'm done Lynne-chan. It's all yours."

As soon Lynette entered the bathroom and closed the door, Yoshika quickly went over to her desk and opened the drawers looking for something to write with. There were a couple of pens, a set of mechanical pencils and a black magic marker. She took the black marker out, flipped Charlotte's note over and wrote on the back…

_**Do Not Disturb**_

After taping the note back on the door she turned on the radio that was on the dresser. A pop station blared out of the speaker. Not the mood Yoshika was trying to set. She scanned the dial until she found a Classical station playing a soothing string selection. _"Ah, perfect."_

To kill time Yoshika took out the copy of 'Stars and Stripes' she had picked up at the base PX earlier. Sitting down on her bed, she opened the newspaper and paged to the News of the World section to catch up on the events she had missed over the past couple of days.

Engrossed in reading, she didn't even notice the passage of time and before she knew it Lynette was standing before her, freshly showered, holding a cup of tea out for her.

"Anything interesting?" Lynne asked.

"Yeah," Yoshika answered "we're in the news."

She handed the newspaper to Lynne, opened to the page in question. A half-page article headed with a stock photo of the entire 501st, standing in front of a hanger at Capel-le-Fern. Also, four photographs of Charlotte, Gertrude and Erica as well as the M.A.G.U.S. pilots during their staged dogfight.

"I wonder if Shirley has seen this yet." Lynette said as she scanned over the page.

"I don't know." Yoshika replied, sipping her tea. "We'll have to show it to her in the morning."

Lynne was sitting in a chair next to Yoshika's bed reading the news article. Yoshika decided it was now or never. Collecting her nerve she placed the teacup on her nightstand. "Lynne-chan… can we talk for a minute?"

Lynette looked up, startled. "Eh?"

Yoshika had a serious look on her face although she was wearing a soft smile. She patted the empty space next to her on the bed. "Can we… I wanted to talk to you about something."

Lynette's stomach turned queasily. Somehow she knew this was it. But was she about to be confessed to or let down easily? She still wasn't sure. Mentally she tried to prepare herself for the worst. Rising from the chair, she sat down on the bed next to Yoshika. Now that she had committed herself, Yoshika felt eerily calm. She made direct eye contact with Lynette and just allowed the words to flow out.

"Lynne-chan, I wanted to tell you how special today was for me. But the truth is, every single day since I first met you… every single day I've spent with you has been special. You are the sweetest, the gentlest, the most beautiful person I have ever met – inside and out."

She looked up to gauge the effect of her words. Lynette was simply staring at her with a wide-eyed but unreadable expression. She swallowed hard and pressed on, determined to say her piece.

"What I mean to say is… I love you Lynne-chan. I love you and I want you to be my girlfriend. I promise to always cherish you and protect…"

She was cut off as Lynette began to cry. Her hands were held over her mouth and tears were spilling down her cheeks. Yoshika was taken aback for a moment, not quite sure how to interpret Lynne's reaction until she heard Lynne's words, slightly muffled by her hands.

"I'm so glad. I'm so glad," Her eyes were scrunched closed as she sobbed. "Thank you God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much."

She gasped for breath. It was safe. She could say it now. Yoshika had finally freed her from all of her doubt and fear. "I love you Yoshika. I love you **so** very much. I promise I will always take good care of you. I promise will always hold you precious. I… I…"

Yoshika leaned over and took the crying girl gently in her arms. She didn't even notice the tears falling down her own cheeks. They held each other tightly allowing time for both of their emotions to settle.

When they finally moved they moved as one, pulling apart and resting their foreheads on each other, their arms still wrapped intimately around one another. Simply gazing into each others' eyes communicated their feelings more effectively than words ever could.

As one, their lips met in the softest, sweetest, most passionate kiss imaginable. After a long while their lips separated but otherwise they remained as they were. Again, their feelings and thoughts transmitted in their gazes.

As one, they came together for another kiss, only this one was deeper and much more intimate. Yoshika nipped at Lynne's bottom lip and slid her tongue in when Lynne parted her lips slightly. Yoshika, having previous experience, took the lead and Lynette gladly allowed it.

Eventually, Yoshika became bolder with her touches, sending shivers of desire throughout Lynne's body. She suppressed the impulse to tense up. Part of her mind told her she wasn't ready, but she was prepared to allow Yoshika to do as she pleased. She would do whatever she needed to do in order to keep Yoshika by her side forever.

However, Yoshika sensed her hesitation and eased off before she lost control herself. There was no need to rush. They had all the time in the world now. She eased them both down until they were lying on the bed next to each other. They had still not let go of one another.

Continuing to kiss and touch, intimately and lovingly rather than erotically, Lynette felt as if her soul was about to escape her body. She knew it wasn't a dream. Her dreams had never felt this wonderful.

"I love you Yoshika." She whispered softly.

"So it's Yoshika now instead of Yoshika-chan?"

"W-well, in your culture, 'chan' is used for close friends. But when you become… intimate with someone you just call them by their name. That's how it works, right?"

Yoshika's delicate fingers softly caressed Lynne's cheek.

"Yes, Lynne." She smiled at her love. "That's how it works."

* * *

- _September 14th, 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall__ – 07:17 hours _-

The "Propaganda Squad" was waiting in the entrance hall for their final two members to make their appearance. The plan was to eat breakfast together and go over any last minute details before the main event. Even though Francisca, Mallory and even Lt. Hughes were shuffling with impatience, Charlotte continued to chat with Fiske unconcernedly. The two girls still had twelve minutes and neither one was in the habit of being late.

Charlotte had been a quite worried about Yoshika and Lynette lately.

It had been obvious, to her at least, that the two cared for one another deeply. It had also been obvious that they had hit a bad bump in their rocky not-quite-courtship a couple of weeks earlier. Both girls had lost their exuberance. Yoshika's outgoing nature had been a bit subdued and Lynette had begun to withdraw from people once more.

Something had changed yesterday. Right before they all left Capel-la-Ferne. They both seemed to act more themselves again, both with the squadron and with each other. After her conversation with Corporal Fiske last night, she had a feeling she knew what the catalyst was.

Charlotte liked both girls immensely and she really hoped that they would find each other's hearts. They were good girls and they deserved every bit of happiness they could get.

So it was no surprise when, looking up, she felt a wave of joy wash over her at the sight she was greeted with. Yoshika and Lynette were approaching them, walking side-by-side, chatting animatedly with one another, giggling and _(She raised an eyebrow. This was new.) _holding hands.

"Well. You girls are quite lively this morning." Charlotte teased. "Did something good happen?"

"G-good?" Yoshika yelped. "H-hai. It was… ummmm… we we we…" She looked at Lynette with an unreadable expression on her face.

"We had such a wonderful time yesterday." Lynne interjected breezily. "We had lunch. Oh. Yoshika had her first milkshake." She looked upward in thought. "We went shopping. Right Yoshika?"

"H-hai." Although looked rather embarrassed she was wearing a broad smile. "I, umm, bought a… you know… book."

"Yes." Lynette let go of Yoshika's hand and wrapped her arms around the smaller girls shoulders, squeezing her tightly. "She bought this really old, rare book for her grandmother. Isn't she the most thoughtful girl?"

Charlotte was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle she was seeing. Yoshika, timid and stammering, while Lynette picked up the conversation and covered for her. It was as if they had switched roles. She wanted to laugh out loud but she was afraid they might take it the wrong way.

Yoshika's face threatened to turn a color not found in nature. "Y-Yeah, so… breakfast right? Let's go."

She clasped Lynne's hand once again and started to drag her towards the Mess Hall. Lynette looked over her shoulder at the others as she was being hauled off. She was wearing the brightest smile anyone had ever seen her give. "I guess we'll see you there." She said giggling happily.

The five pilots just stood there for a moment, recovering from the gale-force storm of love that had just passed them by.

Finally, Mallory simply said. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed." Charlotte deadpanned.

* * *

The first hour of the press conference was all about the M.A.G.U.S.'s. The girls were seated in the VIP section. Up on the stage, the three pilots stood in front of their respective machines.

The M.A.G.U.S. units stood at roughly eight and a half feet tall. An electrostatic seam ran down the front of the unit, allowing pilots access to the flight harness. In spite of its size and bulk, it was rather easy to control. The grey matter armor was surprisingly light and flexible.

R&D hadn't been able to replicate the Neuroi particle beam. Instead, a weapon's rack was mounted across the back of the units holding a variety of ranged weaponry. The propellers, mounted on the bottom third of the legs similar to a Striker unit, were canted at an odd 17˚ angle and the upper housing covered by a shroud or wind baffle.

Flash bulbs were popping as the media eagerly snapped pictures of the M.A.G.U.S. Units and the pilots. That all stopped as a uniformed man climbed the stairs on the left side of the stage and walked to the podium.

Yoshika make a squeak of recognition. "Ano… that shady-looking guy is the one that left the party early with Commander Minna and Sakamoto-san." She whispered to Charlotte.

"That's General Maloney." Charlotte answered. "Shady definitely describes him."

Everyone quieted down as General Maloney began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press corps, thank you for coming out today. As you all know, we are here to announce the development and deployment of a new weapon that will give our troops the fighting edge we have been sorely lacking in this ongoing conflict.

The Neuroi crossed the gulfs of space to invade our planet, using technology we simply couldn't match up against… until now."

He half-turned to indicate the M.A.G.U.S. units on the stage behind him.

"Our researchers have been able to adapt salvaged Neuroi technology and reverse-engineer it to create the ultimate fighting machine. Something that can stand up to the Neuroi's overwhelming advantage."

Charlotte frowned. _"Bullshit. He's lying. After a core is destroyed there's nothing left to salvage." _

She became more attentive to what Maloney was saying. Although she still hadn't figured out how the so-called 'Core Fragments' that powered the M.A.G.U.S. were acquired, she knew instinctively and from experience that Maloney's statement about reverse-engineered technology was a complete load.

"Our only lines of defense so far have been the Witch units stationed on the front lines. But they are not enough. All they have ever been able to do is slow down the enemy advances. But we cannot rely on them to achieve a decisive victory.

Witches may be more powerful than normal humans… stronger… but they still have human frailties. They can still weaken. They can still be hurt. They can still die. Ultimately they are no different, no better, than we are."

Francisca gave Charlotte a puzzled look. "Shirley? Why does it sound like he hates us?"

Charlotte gave her a reassuring pat on the head. "I don't know kiddo. He certainly isn't being very nice" Right now, she didn't have a good answer. She focused on Maloney once more, recognizing the tone of a speech wrapping up.

"The M.A.G.U.S. deployment with Karlsland's 117th Luftwaffe will be the precursor to a mass production effort, in order to equip our troops to meet this challenge head-on and decisively put this war to an end. Thank you for your support."

There was applause, although obviously not as loud or as enthusiastic as Maloney would have liked. He frowned at the crowds' lukewarm response. As he walked off the stage he glared at the M.A.G.U.S. pilots.

"You boys **better** put on one hell of a show."

* * *

The staged demonstration had been going on for about 15 minutes. They had just completed two of the four scheduled engagements, with neither side able to claim an overwhelming victory, as was planned. This was basically a show of strength and talent to impress the crowds.

Francisca had been matched against Vince Mallory, Charlotte against Lieutenant Hughes and Yoshika against Bill Fiske.

Sparing a glance at the crowds below, Yoshika saw Lynette jumping up and down, screaming like a cheerleader. Gripped by an uncharacteristic impulse, she decided she was going to show off a bit.

She left herself open for Fiske to begin a strafing run. At the same instant that he unleashed a salvo, she banked steeply upward and to the left, looping backwards and rotating on her primary flight axis. She ended up behind and slightly below his flight path. Adjusting her attitude slightly brought her up, directly behind him.

For his part, Fiske was rather impressed. _"Not bad, kid."_ he thought. _"Want to get fancy, huh? Try this on for size."_

The maneuver wasn't in any book or manual. He had come up with it himself. There _**was**_ no book or manual for a M.A.G.U.S. unit. He and Vince and Lieutenant Hughes… _**they**_ were writing it as they went along. He flipped on his back and dove downwards.

As he anticipated, Yoshika matched his maneuver. He continued his downward trajectory and did a mental five-count. Abruptly, he cut his engines, spilled the rudders and restarted the engines so that he was now flying perpendicular to his former trajectory. It was an extremely difficult maneuver that had taken him weeks of practice to get right.

As he charged forward he reached into his weapons rack and pulled the HS.404 Autocannon. This puppy fired a 20mm shell although currently, of course, it was a 20mm paintball. Flipping on his back once more he fired.

However, in the space where his target should be was only empty air. Slightly stunned by his miscalculation, he frantically scanned the area trying to locate his missing quarry. At the last instant he realized she was directly above him, diving toward him at full speed. He dodged to the right and narrowly missed being nailed by her volley.

Fully expecting Yoshika to continue her dive he made ready to perform an Immelmann to end up on her tail. He stared in disbelief as the young Fuso girl cut her engines, spilled her rudders and restarted... flawlessly imitating his earlier maneuver. **His** maneuver. _"Impossible!"_ was all he could think, as he was once more forced on the defensive.

He opened his throttles full on with Yoshika hot on his tail. With his attention focused on his pursuer he didn't see what suddenly manifested directly in front of him. He was running full tilt when he pancaked into Yoshika's shield. The M.A.G.U.S. rang like a gong with the impact and Fiske's head did the same.

He quickly regained his senses only to find himself unable to move, trapped against the young Witch's shield as she willed it to accelerate towards her. Before he could react at all he was painted head to toe with dummy rounds.

The headset crackled in his ear. "Fiske-san, are you all right?"

He couldn't help but smile hearing the genuine concern evident in the girl's voice. "I'm fine Sargent. Thanks." He answered. "I've got to say that was some pretty slick maneuvering. I'm impressed."

As he glanced down at the crowd he happened to spot Lynette clapping like mad and gazing directly at Yoshika wearing an expression of complete adoration. "Hmmm. It is quite obvious, Miss Scarlet, that I am not the only one who is impressed."

"Why, Ashley Wilkes." Yoshika answered demurely in an affected Southern Liberion accent. "Ah am quite certain that ah have no idea what you are talking about."

"_Pegged her for a movie buff."_ Fiske thought with a laugh. _"I'm glad we can talk normally now."_ He watched as Yoshika did a three-quarter barrel and zipped to the far side of the arena.

"_You really are something else Sargent."_ He shook his head in admiration. _"I'm sure everyone is expecting great things from you." _With that, he gunned his suit's engines and flew back to his side of the arena to ready himself for one more round.

* * *

…_to be continued_


	7. Myriad Connections

**A/N -** Welcome back all. Sorry for the prolonged wait. This chapter went through a couple of re-writes and RL stuck it's ugly head in, distracting me from more enjoyable pursuits. As always, praise for my awesome Beta Reader, Flygon Master. If nothing else, I've made a good friend or two here in FFN and it is very gratifying.

This story is exceeding the scope I had originally planned, as stories are want to do, I suppose. Since much of Chapter 8 is already laid out, I expect the wait time to be much less that for this chapter. And I hope to continue in a timely fashion from here on out.

Action. Adventure. Yuri. What more could you ask for?

Again, I would love to see more reviews, so please feel free to weigh in and let me know how I'm doing. Thank you for reading.

As always Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Seven – Myriad Connections

- _September 14th, 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall__ Festival Grounds _-

There was a very good reason General Maloney's speech casting aspersions on Witch's and Witch-centric military units didn't go over well with this crowd. Many of them were survivors of Cardiff and _'Operation: Spearhead'_ only 22 months earlier. They were _**alive**_ because of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.

(** **)

Twenty-two months earlier, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was under the command of Colonel Hanna Murphy. Along with her newly assigned second-in-command, Lieutenant-Colonel Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, there were a host of other new faces in the 501st. Captain Sakamoto Mio (who transferred with Minna), Takei Junko - close friend of Captain Sakamoto - who later went on to lead the 504th JFW, and Elizabeth Beurling, Kukri-wielding misfit who would eventually be transferred to the Suomus IVAS.

On November 11th 1941, while the bulk of the Allied military's Europa-based forces were deployed against escalating enemy action along the Karlsland-Orussian border, the 501st – _**'Murphy's Marauders' **_as they were called at the time – were the only battle-capable Witch unit in the vicinity when the Neuroi launched a sneak attack along Britannia's under-protected southwestern coast.

Central Command had ordered Colonel Murphy to take her squadron and arrest any Neuroi advance until the population of the city could be evacuated. Once on the scene, Murphy ascertained that their job was going to be a lot tougher than simply holding off a wave of attacking ships.

Overshadowing the large amount of Neuroi hunter drones and small attack craft was the presence of three extremely large Neuroi craft that the military had classified as 'Dreadnaughts'. They were floating end-up with their 'bottoms' facing each other, slowly rotating around a central point.

The confluence and arrangement of these ships was consistent with previously observed activity exhibited when the Neuroi would create a new Hive over established territory. Once complete, the Hive would meld with the land and begin to emit a slowly spreading miasma that would ultimately kill everything it touched and convert the mass into Grey Matter. Once complete, the Hive would be almost impossible to kill.

Hanna Murphy knew that they couldn't allow it to happen. Even if it cost each and every one of them their lives, they had to stop the Hive from being established.

Out-numbered, under-supported and over-matched, the 501st engaged the enemy, determined to repel this major Neuroi effort to establish a beachhead in Britannia.

Assigning her heavy-hitters to systematically eliminate the three Neuroi Dreadnaughts, Hanna Murphy entrusted the defense of the unit to her two cage fighters, Sargent Beurling and Lieutenant Barkhorn. She gave new young Corporal, Charlotte Yeager, the task of leading three other squad members to assist the civilian population in evacuating the battle-zone.

It was a long and hard-fought and hard-won battle. The girls had used almost every bit of magic they possessed in the doing of it. But in the end they were triumphant. The Dreadnaughts had been destroyed and the attack drones had either also been destroyed or scattered and were in retreat.

The city itself had been leveled and would need to be completely rebuilt. Civilian casualties had been limited only to those who had died in the initial attack. However, _**'Murphy's Marauders' **_lost two of their own – brand-new recruit Private Lisette Harshaw…and their commander, Colonel Hanna Murphy.

The final Dreadnaught had put up one hell of a fight. Hanna's attention was diverted momentarily as she tried to ascertain the status of her people in the field. Her body was neatly bisected by a stray Neuroi particle beam. As she fell from the sky, with the odd sensation of seeing the lower part of her body floating above her, she knew she was already dead. It just hadn't caught up to her yet.

She keyed her mike and spoke her final words. "The squadron's yours now Minna. Take good care of them. I'm counting on you."

Minna took those words to heart. She blocked off the grief she felt at her mentor's passing and carried through with the rest of the mission. After eliminating the final threat to the city she and the rest of the squadron, even though exhausted and mostly powerless, rushed to assist in the civilian relocation effort. Cardiff had been decimated, but the people were still alive and that was what mattered most.

One week later, in a special ceremony, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing was lauded for its heroic action. Colonel Hanna Murphy was post-humously given the rank of General and awarded the Allied Forces Medal of Special Commendation. The unit designation _**'Murphy's Marauders'**_ was retired with honor.

During the same ceremony, acting upon Colonel Murphy's written recommendation, Lieutenant-Colonel Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke was promoted to Colonel and formally given command of a newly re-minted 501st Joint Fighter Wing - unit designation _**'Strike Witches'**_.

At barely 17 years of age, Minna Wilcke became the youngest Wing Commander in military history.

(** **)

The relocated former citizens of Cardiff - indeed everyone in Britannia - never forgot the debt they owed to the 501st. After the Combat Demonstration, the girls were warmly received by the crowd. Charlotte had a cluster of male admirers flocking around her, begging for a handshake or a picture. The other three were sitting behind a table to greet and sign autographs.

Many of the older people simply wanted to express their gratitude to the girls for their bravery and service. But most of the younger adults and kids wanted the autograph of a war hero. It didn't really matter that none of the three had been part of the Cardiff liberation… just the fact that they were members of the Strike Witches was enough. As far as these people were concerned, they were the best of the best… hometown heroes.

After about an hour of graciously signing press-kit photos and shaking hands, the little Fuso maiden was beginning to get a bit bored. She noticed a cute young girl, maybe about 12 or 13 years old, standing off to the side obviously working up the nerve to talk to Lynette. The scrutiny must have been noticed for the girl gave a guilty start, glancing at Yoshika briefly before resolutely walking up to the table.

"Um. Excuse me. Sargent?" Lynne turned to the source of the voice. "Are… are you Lady Lynette Bishop of Glys?"

Lynne hesitated slightly. "Yes."

"Well, it's just, I-I really admire you." The girl said. "I've seen you before, at formal functions and such. Our father's work together." She paused momentarily, as if deciding how to proceed.

"Anyway, I started seeing you in the news occasionally, you know, in the Strike Witches and all. And I just… I think you're so amazing. You could just avoid all this and live in privilege, but you don't. You use you power to help people. You **do** something."

Her voice became firmer with conviction, eyes shining brightly. "My father says a proper lady shouldn't concern herself with such things but he's _**wrong**_! I just know it! I want to use my power to help people as well. I want to become a Witch, just like you." the girl finished, slightly out of breath. "You're my hero Lady Lynette."

"Well, I…" Lynne's first instinct was to shy away. But she didn't. She saw this girl who looked up to her, who reminded her of herself at that age, and decided she needed to live up to expectations. "What is your name?"

"Um. Abigail. Abigail Wainwright."

"Well Abigail, first of all, please call me Lynne. I don't really think of myself as heroic, honestly. I always try my best but I wouldn't be able to do anything without my squad mates and my friends there to back me up."

"Still…" Abigail said. "To be able to find the courage to do it in the first place…"

"Everyone has different reasons for why they fight Abigail. Some do it for duty, some for honor, some for glory." While she spoke, her hand unconsciously found Yoshika's and clasped it tightly. "Sometimes, if you are very lucky, you fight to protect someone precious to you."

Just the contact of their skin, simply holding hands, was enough to pull Lynette's attention from the real world and into a world where there was only herself and the girl she loved.

She continued talking, but it was obvious to Abigail that the words were meant for the tiny brown-haired Fuso girl standing with her. Indeed, Lynette turned fully to face Yoshika. "Someone who fills you with more courage and hope and love than you could ever believe possible."

"Someone you want to cherish and keep safe so they can stay by your side forever." Yoshika replied, also caught up in the spell. Both girls experienced the same rush of emotion, the same removal from reality. They could see only each other.

"Forever...?" breathed Lynne.

"Forever…" Yoshika whispered back.

Neither girl had any way of knowing how much time had past as they slowly came to their senses. The first thing Lynne noticed when she became fully aware was that Abigail was staring at them intently, hands clasped together under her chin, eyes wet with tears. Lynne's first thought was that they had somehow upset the younger girl, embarrassing her with their outward display of affection.

"I'm so sorry, Abigail. That was very rude of us. Please don't be upset."

"No. No. Not at all." Abigail rushed to assure her. "It's just…' she giggled. "It's just that you made my insides melt." She sighed and smiled. "You two really love each other a lot, don't you?"

"Yes. We really do." Lynne answered happily, still holding Yoshika's hand tightly. At first, Lynette thought that she would be shy about showing Yoshika affection in public. But that wasn't the case at all. In fact, the opposite was true. It made her feel empowered.

'We were about to have lunch. Please come join us." Yoshika offered kindly.

"Yes. Please do." Lynne added.

"Really?" the tiny blonde yelped. When Lynne nodded yes, she turned to face Yoshika. "Thank you. I'm Abigail Wainwright. You can call me Abby. It's nice to meet you."

Yoshika bowed to the girl. "Abby-chan, hajimemashite. Miyafuji Yoshika desu." * _It's nice to meet you, Abby-chan. I'm Miyafuji Yoshika. *_

Yoshika beamed with pride as she followed Lynne and the young girl out into the fairgrounds. Listening to Abigail relate her feelings to the person she admired made Yoshika happy. She thought it was important that Lynette hear from an outside party just how wonderful and special she really was. Someday Lynette would even be able to see for _herself_ just how wonderful and special she was. Yoshika was determined of that.

Although, really, Lynne had already begun to undergo a transformation of her own accord. There was no doubt in Yoshika's mind that if Lynette hadn't acted - if yesterday hadn't happened - she would have continued to doubt and fret and second-guess her feelings until it was too late.

Yoshika had known from the day they had met that there was more to Lynette than was evident from appearance. She had become adept at reading people at a very young age. Both her mother and grandmother held great store in understanding a patient's personality as part of determining their method of treatment.

Yoshika, with her bubbly disposition, had a way of making people feel at ease around her. She had the same effect on Lynne as she had on everyone else, and whenever Lynne felt at ease her true personality had shown through. It didn't take long for Yoshika to deduce that _something_ had happened in Lynne's past that led to her obvious personality quirks.

She, quite honestly, hadn't been prepared yesterday when she accidently found out just how dark that something in her past had been. Initially, after she confessed, in the back of her mind she kept thinking about when and how to address Lynn's emotional problems. She was worried for her love and didn't want her past to disturb the future they could make for themselves.

But, as she was quickly finding out, Lynette was breaking out of her mental prison on her own initiative. _"Just knowing her love for me is returned as deeply is giving her the strength to become herself again." _Yoshika thought gratefully. _"I feel stronger too."_

"Like I found a part of myself that I didn't even know was missing." She said aloud.

The two girls in front of her turned to look inquisitively.

"What was that Yoshika?" Lynne asked. "I couldn't hear you."

"Hmm? Oh, I said I hope they have a Fuso food stall. I'm dying for Takoyaki."

"Takoyaki?" Abigail looked at Lynette inquisitively.

"Grilled Octopus Balls." Lynne smiled. "They're much better than they sound. If you try them just think stuffed mushrooms, breaded and fried. They actually taste quite similar."

Alas, there were no Fuso food stalls at the event. Yoshika had to content herself with a Shepard's Pie and a roasted sweet potato. Lynette got a sliced chicken breast with a white sauce and rice pilaf. Abigail chose a Waldorf salad and a slice of melon.

Little Abigail still seemed slightly nervous, but Lynette quickly set her at ease by engaging her in lighthearted conversation.

"So, Abby, what are your powers?"

"I have a heightened spatial awareness. Also limited precognition. 99% accurate up to 10 minutes." She frowned slightly. "After that it bottoms out rapidly to 48% after an hour. But…" she brightened up. "my electives instructor said I could bring those numbers up with the proper training."

"Cool." Yoshika interjected. "Our commanding officer has enhanced spatial sense as well. Combine that with precognition, even limited, and you would be an awesome tactical officer."

Abigail gave an excited gasp. "Really? You really think I could be useful?"

Lynne chuckled at the girl's exuberance. Reaching across the table she ruffled the youngsters hair. "Absolutely." She replied happily.

"Hey, you guys." A familiar voice shouted out. Charlotte approached their table juggling two huge plates laden with roast beef, baked potatoes, baked ziti and Mediterranean salad. A long loaf of French bread was tucked under one arm. Francisca was picking up the rear hauling a six-pack of Pepsi Cola for her and the girls and Vince and a quarter-keg of Guinness Dark for Charlotte, Bill and Lieutenant Hughes.

Unburdening herself on the picnic table Charlotte sat down heavily. "Geeze. Those boys sure are are demanding. Pose this way, pose that way, can you raise your butt any higher, blah, blah, blah." She grumped loudly.

Francisca hugged her from the back. "You loved every minute of it." She chortled happily.

Looking across the table with her chin resting on Charlotte's shoulder, the twin-tailed pixie spied the addition to the group. "So who's the new blood?" she asked with a smirk.

"This is a fan… and potential Witch Abby Wainwright." Lynne informed. "Abby, this is our friend and squad-mate Francisca Lucchini." Francisca gave her a silly grin and waved. "And this boisterous redhead is our friend and mission commander, Captain Charlotte Yeager."

Charlotte reached across the table and gave the tiny blonde a hearty Liberion-style handshake. "Pleased to meet you Abby."

Abigail stared back at her wide-eyed. "You're Glamorous Shirley!"

"Correct on both counts." Charlotte responded. "If you want an autograph though, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait a little while. I've lost all feeling in my hand." She slumped over on the table.

"M'hungry." Charlotte fake-pouted, but Francisca wasn't about to be baited. "Well, it's a good thing you have two platefuls of food right in front of you then, isn't it?" The diminutive Romangian playfully scolded the older girl.

Charlotte smiled and dug in. Between mouthfuls she peppered the air with questions. She was obviously in one of her more hyper moods. Generally Charlotte, although light-hearted and jovial, gave off an air of level-headedness. Occasionally though, if she were tired or excited or relaxed, her demeanor bore a very strong resemblance to Francisca's, rapid-fire speech pattern and limited attention span included.

"So, the guys aren't back yet?" Charlotte observed. "I wonder what's keeping them."

"That General Maloney person came and got them when they were coming down off the stage." Yoshika told her. Her brow furrowed slightly. "I heard something about 'review your performance'…"

Charlotte frowned as well. "What the hell could that pompous windbag have to bitch at them about that would take over an hour?" She looked around for her partner. "Yo, Francisca. Will you go try to find those yahoos for me. Or at least find out what happened to them?"

The petite girls shout of "Roger!" was already fading as she dashed into the crowds. She returned immediately with an embarrassed expression. "Umm, where should I look?"

Charlotte turned toward Yoshika.

"Huh?" Yoshika said. "Oh, right. They went over toward the hangers on the west side of the base."

With another "Roger!" Francisca was off once again, this time in the right direction.

**"And stay out of trouble!"** Charlotte yelled after her.

Yoshika watched her go as well. General Maloney gave her the creeps. She got such a strange vibe around him. Nothing he said or did seemed genuine or sincere.

And when he smiled it made her skin crawl.

"_I hope they're OK."_ Yoshika thought to herself.

* * *

"I cannot _**believe**_ you allowed that child to make you look like such a fool. I don't believe you are taking this seriously." General Maloney grumped as he paced in front of the M.A.G.U.S. pilots.

Bill Fiske frowned. "With all due respect General, that "child" is an experienced combat pilot. A _very_ _capable_ combat pilot. I wasn't holding anything back and neither was she.

"Besides…" he continued " we were supposed to be putting on a show to highlight **all** of our strengths, not just your lab monkeys."

Maloney stopped pacing directly in front of Fiske and leaned in close, attempting to give an intimidating glare. Fiske returned the scrutiny of his gaze calmly and undaunted. This infuriated Maloney all the more. His face was almost purple with the anger and frustration that constantly boiled inside of him coming to a head. He took a deep breath preparing to launch some choice invective at Fiske.

However, before he could yell a single word, the door in the rear of the bay opened and Brigadier General Briggs entered. He was alone. Unlike General Maloney, Briggs preferred not to travel with an entourage. Ignoring the position Maloney was in with Fiske, he strode up to the three pilots with a broad smile.

"Wonderful show, gentlemen. Well done." He shook hands with each man in turn, brushing past Maloney as if he weren't even there.

"So, tell me lads, are those gadgets as much fun to fly as it looks?"

The Brigadiers easygoing manner caused Vince to momentarily forget he was talking to a superior officer. "Fun doesn't begin ta describe it." He answered with all the enthusiasm and bluster of youth. "It's th' most incredible feeling ever. It's like you become one with your machine and the sky _**belongs**_ to you. Like it's home." His eyes were shining brightly. "It's like you can do _**anything**_." He became self-conscious, suddenly realizing whom he was speaking to. "Uhhh… Sir." He finished lamely.

"It's ok, son. I get where you're coming from." The older man grinned jovially. "I felt 'as one' with my old Sopwith. So I can only imagine."

He clapped Mallory on the shoulder. "It's an adventure son," He said in a low voice intended for only the young pilot to hear. "You're meant to enjoy every minute of it."

"So Mr. Fiske?" Briggs asked, turning toward the man he had addressed. "What do you make of the 501st's young Fuso pilot? Quite the little spitfire isn't she?"

"And then some." Fiske agreed. "What little I've seen tells me she has the chops, all right."

"We've got a stack of reports about her back at OOC." The Brig chuckled. "She once blew up a Neuroi by force-feeding its particle beam back down its own throat."

Finally he turned to address Lieutenant Hughes. "Nice job with your unit Lieutenant." The General extended his hand. "Working with experimental aircraft is always a dicey situation, and this seems about as experimental as it gets, no?"

"Just so General." Hughes answered, shaking the proffered hand. "But these are good lads I'm workin' with. Any praise ya have ta give is ta their credit, rather than m'own."

"Nonsense, Lieutenant. I've read your records." Briggs stated firmly. "You're being needlessly modest. I'm sure Mr. Fiske and Mr. Mallory would be the first to say it wouldn't be the same unit without you leading it." He glanced over at the two. "Am I right boys?"

"Absolutely correct, sir." Fiske stated sincerely. "That's right, sir." Mallory added.

"Well, I thank ya Sir." Hughes concluded. He had the distinct impression that the Brigadier was sizing each of them up, personality-wise, and that each of them had passed muster.

Briggs finally turned to acknowledge the presence of General Maloney. "Trevor. I was just looking for you. You're free right now, correct?" It wasn't phrased as a question. Maloney appeared as if he had a lot more to say to his erstwhile pilots, but whatever it was he kept it to himself.

"Of course Douglas." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You gentlemen are dismissed."

The pilots didn't need to be told twice. They saluted their superiors and headed for the door with Mallory in the lead.

Once outside the darkened hanger, the bright sunshine and fresh air blew away any pall cast by all the drama and animosity in the hanger.

Vince broke the silence. "That was deeply uncomfortable."

"Yeah." Fiske agreed. "Did you see the tension between those two? I thought I was going to see two old guys beating the crap out of each other for a second there."

"Ha." Hughes answered seriously. "Maloney would 'na have th' balls fer it. He's nothin' but a mincing ponce. A 'Commissioned in the Classroom' sort. Before the Neuroi showed up he was a desk-jockey Sargent-Major in the Front Office." His brow furrowed in thought. "Y'know, come ta think on it, I canna ken how he wormed his way into Central Command. His background does na' call fer it."

"Getting off-point here." Fiske interrupted. "What I mean is… doesn't it seem like, I dunno… there's something going on behind the scenes we are totally unaware of?"

He gave his Lieutenant a serious look. "So many things don't add up. Think about it. Maloney had his nose in every single aspect of the program, but beyond him, I don't recall seeing another ranking officer at the CCRC the entire two months we were there. "

Fiske's random thoughts began to solidify. "Everybody in R&D has been pretty tight-lipped about the tech. Uncharacteristically so. They spout the same 'reverse-engineered' garbage that Maloney was trying to peddle to the crowd earlier." He fixed the Lieutenant with his gaze. "All I know is that the goddamned 'battery' that runs my suit is a piece of something that's trying to kill me on a regular basis."

He then turned to the youngest of them. "I agree with you in one sense Vince, they are one sweet ride. But I get the creeps every time I get into the damn thing. I simply can't enjoy it as you seem to."

"And we've never even been in live combat against the actual enemy. Only simulated Neuroi drones. So, yeah…" he concluded. "I've got some issues."

A familiar voice rang out and the three spun around to the source of it. Francisca came screeching to a halt in front of them. "There you guys are. We were getting worried. Shirley sent me out to find you."

"We just had a very through de-briefing is all." Bill commented wryly.

"Well, c'mon back to our table. Shirley said she has some Guinness Pints waiting for you and that you'd probably need one after dealing with General Windbag."

"Possibly two or three." Lieutenant Hughes stated. "William yer redheaded friend is an angel, she is."

Together they headed back to the picnic site. Francisca sidled up to Vince. "So, that boy you were talking to earlier… I know what booth he _woorrrks_ in." she said in a sing-song voice.

Vince tried to ignore her.

"I could _tellll_ you if you _waaant_ me to."

"I ain't got a clue as to what yer sayin' missy." Vince retorted. He hoped that would be the end of it, but unfortunately for him Francisca was delighted to find a new target to tease.

"Sweater-vest boy? Wavy brown hair? Looks like he has Oxford written all over him?"

Vince struggled for a clever retort, but all that came out was "Shut up!"

"You _waaaant_ me to _tellll_ you."

"Shut up!"

"Tell you where he's _worrrking_."

"Shut up!"

"_Yesss_ you _doooo_."

"Please shut up."

"Heeheehee."

"please?"

* * *

It ended up being a wonderful day. There was nothing else scheduled for the group until the following evening when they would board the U.S.S. Manchester for a short cruise to their next stop in Amsterdam. They ended up designating the two picnic tables they occupied as 'Base Camp' and at any given time, you would find some of them there while the others were wandering around.

Late afternoon found them all back together, with the exception of Francisca and Vince. Bill Fiske was sitting at the table with Yoshika, Lynette and Abby polishing off a huge slab of Chocolate cake.

"I'm surprised that you don't have a background in aviation." Bill said to Yoshika between mouthfuls. "You're an excellent pilot. You even knew a move that I thought I had made up on my own."

"Huh?" Yoshika gave him a puzzled look. "Oh, you mean that vector-change thingy? No I've never done that before. I just saw what you did and copied it."

Bill gave her a blank stare for an instant, remembering the first three times he had attempted it almost planting himself into the ground, then shook his head in wonderment. "Amazing."

"Anyway," he continued. "that was a pretty slick trick you pulled off with your shield. I don't think I've ever seen a Witch use her shield in quite that fashion."

Yoshika rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Ano... I may have been showing off just a little bit." She admitted, giving Lynette a sidelong glance.

Lynne squealed in happiness at the statement. "Really? Were you trying to impress me?"

Yoshika nodded a yes and Lynne threw her arms around the tiny brunette in a crushing hug. Nuzzling her cheek she whispered softly. "You don't really need to. You've already left a lasting impression on me."

Abby was watching the exchange from across the table with star-filled eyes. "They are soooo adorable." She sighed.

"Oh sure." Charlotte smirked, rolling her eyes skyward. "You get to see the good stuff. You didn't have to sit through four and a half months of watching them pine over each other, miserable as hell."

"Where did the youngsters get off to?" Lieutenant Hughes wondered. "We ought to figure out dinner pretty soon."

"I'm not sure." Charlotte answered. "I saw Francisca dragging Vince off somewhere about an hour ago."

Almost as soon as her name was spoken, Francisca emerged from the crowd heading back to the group. What was strange was that she was alone. "We thought Vincent was with you lass. What happened?"

She cocked her head and gave Lieutenant Hughes an odd grin. "He's become fascinated with one of the local attractions. He said he'll catch up to us later." Francisca then bounced over to the other side of the table and sat on the bench next to Shirley, still wearing a sly grin.

Charlotte looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I know that look. What did you do?"

"My good deed for the day." Francisca answered. "Cake please."

Charlotte cut a large slice and placed the plate in front of the tiny Romangian who immediately began to happily munch on the chocolate confection.

Francisca surveyed the scene with contentment. Surrounded by her friends, two of whom were now a very happy couple. Making a new friend and then being able to do something to make him happy. And Shirley was here.

Yep. All in all, it was a pretty wonderful day.

* * *

… _to be continued…_


	8. Amsterdam on Five Dollars a Day Part 1

**ATT: This is a REPOST of Chapter Eight. Final third is all new content. I apologize. I had some personal events happen that had me shook for a bit. I attempted to write the rest of the chapter as a way of getting my mind off of things, but instead, reading it after a good night's sleep I realized it made absolutely no sense. Hopefully, this will rectify that.**

A/N - Welcome back all. Things are going to start coming to a head as the pieces converge. I'm going to try for bravura ending, which is looking to be Chapter 11, plus an epilogue.

I'd like to welcome new readers Asukaforever92, DragonZap, MyBl00dIsBlack, worldwanderer2.0 and Souplog. (Souplog is currently writing a fantastic AU Lucky Star story "I Used to Remember You". It is well worth the read.)

Also, a shout out to EtherealFox who has given me invaluable advice and insight into Japanese language and sentence structure. A fount of wisdom and knowledge... plus he's pretty cool too.

I also have to thank Tastychainsaws, who looked this over at my request. His review, in the words of Nathan Explosion, was 'brutal'. But there were also a lot of truths contained within that I would be wise to address moving forward. Why? 'Cause he's a fucking awesome writer, that's why. I hope someday I can write something he would actually praise. (His current K-ON! fic is "The Forever Night". It's good.)

All praise as usual to Flygon Master, my trusty Beta reader and internet Padawan. He can always keep me going with something positive. Much love to ya man. Thanks!

[one last note: The Strike Witches Movie. It is MADE of awesome. Exceeded my expectations. And what's this? 'To be continued'? Hells yes. You can torrent a great version from Underwater Fansubs: underwater dot nyaatorrents dot org]

You gotta know, Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shouten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Eight – Amsterdam On Five Dollars a Day [Part 1]

- _September 17th , 1943 ~ __U.S.S. Manchester (Location: North Sea) _-

The commander of the Liberian carrier U.S.S. Manchester had greeted the team on boarding. A greeting that was necessarily brief. Captain Lawrence was being polite and observing protocol but he honestly had a dozen things to do before the ship left port. After welcoming the troupe onboard, he excused himself and passed them off to his Executive Officer.

The Manchester's XO was an easygoing fellow by the name of Lieutenant Kellogg. He proved to be a gracious host and gave the team an extensive tour of the ships facilities – the locations of the mess hall and sickbay and finally brought them to their billets. Pulling out his clipboard, he addressed each squad member one-at-a-time:

"Captain Yeager you're in the A-3 Officer's Suite. That's at the end of this corridor; make a left and its three doors up on the right." Charlotte nodded an affirmative.

"Lieutenant Hughes you're in the A-4 Officer's Suite directly across the hall from Captain Yeager." He gestured with his free hand.

"Corporal Fiske and Ensign Mallory you are in B-10, one deck below, aft port. Sargent Miyafuji, Sargent Bishop and Ensign Lucchini you are in C-3, two decks below, fore starboard." He looked around at his audience. "Got all that?"

Lynne gave Yoshika a troubled look, to which Yoshika answered her unspoken question. "Two floors down, towards the front of the boat on the right." She whispered to her girlfriend.

"Ship, not boat." Lieutenant Kellogg whispered teasingly, loudly enough for all to hear. Yoshika blushed bright red in embarrassment. Soon they were all laughing, even Lynette and Yoshika.

"Pretty easy really. It's like a big 3-D grid." He assured them. "You'll get the hang of it quick enough." He tucked his clipboard under his arm and clapped his hands together. "Listen, why don't you guys stow your gear and meet me in the Officers Mess in, say, thirty minutes. We'll go over the itinerary."

After Lt. Kellogg left everyone picked up their gear and started heading towards their cabins. Francisca was about to follow Yoshika and Lynn when she heard Shirley calling her over. "Tell them to go on ahead. I want you to come to my cabin first." Charlotte whispered to her. "I want to check out a hunch."

As Charlotte suspected, the Officer's Suite was huge. Two bunks, a writing desk, an actual chair and was that a mini-fridge? She pulled a bottle of Rolling Rock from the chest and sat down at the table happily. "I had a feeling VIP would be like this. Plenty of room." She looked at Francisca conspiratorially. "So whadda ya say you bunk here with me tonight and we give those two lovebirds some much needed privacy?"

Francisca's fang gleamed as she grinned. "That's a roger!"

(**)

They all met back at the Officer's Mess for coffee and/or tea. Lieutenant Kellogg actually had hot chocolate, which he happily provided for Yoshika and Lynne as well. They sat around a large common table chatting.

Lieutenant Kellogg handed Charlotte a thick packet of papers. "Here are your timetables and official documents. Everything should be in order. I checked it thoroughly."

Charlotte accepted the papers. "Thanks for the help Lieutenant. It's much appreciated."

"Not at all ma'am." Kellogg answered happily. "My pleasure."

He turned to the rest of the group. "We've stowed your Striker Units and those suits of armor down in Hanger 2, aft deck. You are welcome and encouraged to go below and make sure everything is battened down properly. If you need any help, ask any of the deck hands down there."

He drew an imaginary line on the table with his finger. "The trip generally takes from 12 to 14 hours, depending on the currents and the weather. That being said, we expect to be hitting some rough seas around midnight. There's a cold front coming down from the Nordic regions and we're going to catch the tail end of it. Nothing to worry about." He assured the group. "Although, if you're not used to that sort of thing, you may want to eat a light supper."

Lynette already felt queasy. She wasn't looking forward to tonight.

As it turned out, Manchester was a little early for the tail-end of the storm and she ended up having to endure a rougher ride than advertised. Along with the massive swells, there was lightning and torrential rain. The squad members handled the situation in various ways:

- _**Charlotte's cabin - 0130 hours**_

Lightning flashed and the ship rolled with the swelling sea.

"C'mon Shirley. One more hand." Francisca pleaded, bouncing nervously on her crossed legs. "Pleeease?" She held the deck of Pinochle cards up towards Charlotte as a holy offering.

"No, I said. Let's go to bed for chrissake." Charlotte rubbed her forehead in irritation. She didn't mean to be short with Francisca but she had some pressing matters taking up her attention. Matters that weren't on the table when she planned this 'sleepover'.

"What's up with you anyway?" she asked the diminutive Romangan. "It's one thirty in the morning. Did you find where I hid those damned M&M's or something?"

When she saw Francisca turn away with a guilty look she groaned inwardly.

"_My own fault. I shouldn't have hidden them. I should have flushed them down the head."_

- _**Vince Mallory and Bill Fiske's cabin - 0130 hours**_

A loud peal of thunder accompanied the sudden back-lurch of the ship and Vince cried out in agony.

"Aw, damn Bill. Please tell me I'm gonna die at least?" Vince groaned out. "Anything's better than havin' my damn stomach fixin' ta crawl outta my throat."

Bill gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry kid. Wish I could help. Although," he couldn't help but add, "you should have gone a little easy on those desserts. The Exec **did** warn you."

Vince turned over in his bunk. "Yeah, well, I couldn't let Francisca win could I?"

Bill rolled his eyes skyward. "It was a losing proposition ya dope. I would imagine that Lucchini has the metabolism of a Tasmanian Devil." He grinned. "Face it. You were finished before you started."

When he failed to hear a comeback or retort, Bill knew his young friend was seriously not feeling well. Sighing, he got up and walked over to his rucksack. He pulled out his kit and took two pills from a brown prescription bottle. Moving to the sink, he drew a cup of water and went over to Vince's bunk.

"Here." He said, handing Vince the pills and motioning to him with the cup. "Take these."

Vince accepted them with a puzzled look. "What're these?"

"Dramamine." Bill answered. "I copped a few from sickbay earlier. Y'know, just in case."

Vince swallowed the pills. Bill tossed the cup in the trash, put away his kit and got into his bunk. After he was settled and ready to go to sleep he looked over his shoulder at the younger pilot. "Feeling any better?"

"A little bit, yeah." Vince answered gratefully. "Thanks."

Bill grunted his acknowledgment. The cabin was silent for a few minutes but the silence was broken when Vince spoke up again.

"Say, Bill…" Vince began, with a serious voice.

"Yeah?" Bill questioned sleepily.

"Well… you and the Lieutenant… you're always looking out for me, keeping me from messing up, making sure I've got my shit together." He sighed lightly. "I just… I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. It really, really means a lot to me, y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah." Bill answered gruffly. "What are we supposed ta do?" With his back turned to Vince the young southerner couldn't see the gratified smile on Bill's face. "So go to sleep already, huh? And if you do puke, try to aim for the trash can."

"Do m' best." Vince answered happily.

- _**Lieutenant Hughes cabin - 0130 hours**_

"ZZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzzz 'hulmp' zzz zzzz ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

- _**Lynette and Yoshika's cabin - 0130 hours**_

"I feel so ill." Lynette moaned. Almost as soon as she said the words the cabin lit up with another lightning stroke and the driving of the rain intensified. The ship listed again in the choppy seas.

"Ulp." She covered her mouth with her hands in an effort to keep from heaving. She looked at Yoshika with misery etched on her features. "You said it took you ten days to sail from Fuso to Britannia. How could you possibly stand it?"

Yoshika scooted closer to Lynette on the bunk they shared (she thanked Charlotte again in her mind for shuffling the sleeping arrangements) and took the distressed girl in her arms, stroking her hair gently, trying to comfort her.

"The waters don't get this rough on the open seas. The North Sea is landlocked on three sides, so it can generate some very powerful storms." The little Fuso scholar answered her seriously.

In spite of her discomfort Lynette couldn't help but laugh. "Is there anything you don't know?" Yoshika's face flushed in embarrassment. "Umm… I mean… yeah! There's… there's **lots** of stuff I don't know. I…I…I'm just really good at remembering things I read or hear."

Her obvious discomfort of the subject made Lynette's heart swell with a rush of pride and love.

"You're always telling me how wonderful I am Yoshika, but you're pretty darned wonderful yourself you know?" Yoshika's face grew even redder hearing her love compliment her so. Lynette was about to embrace her girlfriend in a warm hug, but the ship chose that moment to make another incredible lurch.

"Oh god." Lynette gasped miserably. She felt her girlfriend draw her closer and allowed her head to be guided down into Yoshika's lap.

"I may be able to help you a bit, if you'll allow me to." Yoshika said softly. Lynette nodded.

"Now, I've never done _**this**_ exactly, but I have done something very similar many times before." Yoshika laid a hand on Lynne's forehead and held her other hand. She caught Lynne's gaze with a serious look. "If anything starts to feel weird or bad you let me know _**immediately**_ okay?"

"Okay." Lynette answered weakly.

Furrowing her brow in concentration, Yoshika invoked her magic. The ears and tail of her Mame-Shiba spirit familiar manifested and the cabin filled with a soft, bluish-white light. As she allowed herself to fall into a light semi-trance, she used her powers to look within the body of the girl resting in her lap. Satisfied that she had an accurate internal map, she gently began the process of altering Lynne's body chemistry on the cellular level.

Tweaking endorphin production, regulating the fluid reaction to motion in the middle ear, and releasing peptides to calm her loves' roiling stomach.

Lynette felt a soothing warmth spreading throughout her body. The violent feeling of illness suddenly disappeared. The bashful Britannian had been expecting a gradual lessening of her discomfort but instead there was an abrupt cessation.

"Oh my." Lynne sighed. "It's gone. It's just **gone**. I can't believe it." She gazed up at the younger girl with gratitude. "Thank you so much Yoshika."

The tiny brunette gave a relieved smile. "I'm really glad I could help."

They remained together like that for some few minutes, cuddling together, savoring the warmth inside as a counterpoint to the raging storm outside. Then, suddenly, Lynne sat up, climbed out of bed and turned to face Yoshika with a mischievous look on her face.

"I believe," The Britannian girl began in a sultry voice. "I was in the process of telling you just how wonderful you are my darling Yosh - ka - chan." As she spoke, she slid the straps of her nightgown off of her arms and allowed it to flow down her body and pool at her feet.

Yoshika gaped open-mouthed as she took in the view of Lynne 's now naked body standing before her.

"Lynette." She whispered.

Lynne shook her honey-brown hair out of its signature braid and allowed it to cascade down her shoulders. She was a vision of beauty and Yoshika was unable to tear her gaze away. Wordlessly, the younger girl slid the sheer 'teddy' she was wearing up over her head and tossed it carelessly aside. She then scooted underneath the blanket and raised the side for Lynne to join her.

Their bodies intertwined and Yoshika whimpered in need as her small, firm breasts rubbed against Lynette's larger, softer ones. The rocking of the ship enhanced the movement of their bodies against one another. Lynne's knee came up between Yoshika's legs and gently but firmly pressed into her core. Lynne caught Yoshika's lips in her own as the little Fuso girl moaned her desire into her girlfriend's open mouth.

"I want to give _**all**_ of myself to you Yoshika. Everything that I am." Lynne breathed in a husky voice. "I want you to make me _**yours**_. I want to belong to only _**you**_."

No further words were spoken or were necessary. With nothing left to hold them back the two young lovers pledged their bodies and souls to one another in the most deeply intimate and meaningful manner possible.

In the tiny cabin of a ship being thrown roughly about in storm-tossed seas, Lynette and Yoshika made love for the very first time. Their sex was passionate and fierce and gentle and tender and went on and on for quite some time.

After untold hours, both girls fell into an exhausted and deeply satisfied sleep.

* * *

- _September 17st , 1943 ~ __RAF Watnall 0300 hours (Area Undisclosed) _-

"This outcome wasn't entirely unexpected General Maloney." One of the shadowed figures on the dais above him proclaimed. "You are singularly unsuited for Public Relations of any sort seeing as how you lack anything vaguely resembling tact or subtlety."

Trevor Maloney bristled at the harsh criticism being leveled at him. "This was all part of the program. The seeds of doubt have to be planted somewhere." He argued to the faceless men sitting above him. "Where better to do that than during their first PR engagement?"

"In Britannia?" A second unidentified voice asked incredulously. "In a community largely comprised of relocated Cardiff citizenry? In the _**backyard**_ of one of the _**most decorated Witch units in Europa**_?"

The speakers voice fairly dripped with contempt. "Are you truly imbecilic enough to believe that you could have swayed public opinion in any fashion under those circumstances?"

"If those men had followed my orders and decisively beaten down the Witches in all four matches…" Maloney began to retort angrily.

"Then the outcome would have been even worse." Concluded a third voice from the dais.

"As it is, you've attracted the attention of Briggs and Bader. If either of them can round up enough evidence of Silent Op activity around this program they will be able to convince the command staff at OOC to investigate further."

"Briggs is a doddering old fool." Maloney scoffed. "His support is weak. His time is past."

"We're not yet ready to mount a coupe against the Allied military command structure." Voice Two added. "We're close, but not quite there yet."

"Look, all I'm saying…" Maloney began.

"Enough!" Voice One snarled. "This was initially _your_ project General Maloney. Your Black Fund operation. _**You**_ came seeking _**us**_. So we were inclined to allow you to take the lead in its implementation. However, now that plans proceed accordingly you have proven yourself inadequate to the task."

The General became desperate. "Look, I can fix whatever's wrong. Just let me get my team together…"

"Control of the M.A.G.U.S. Program has already been assigned to someone better suited to bring the program results into line with our own goals."

Maloney's face went pale. "You can't mean that."

"It's already done." The voice concluded.

"Thank you for your hard work General Maloney." Voice Two intoned solemnly. "Your services are no longer required."

"But… but you can't!" Maloney stammered. "You can't just do that." He glared upward. "Who? Who's taking over my project?"

"That is no longer your concern." Voice One answered coldly. "You forget your place General Maloney. And our indulgence of your ego is at an end."

"General Maloney." Voice Three stated imperiously. "If you hope to have any voice or standing at all in the New Order, you would do well to _shut_ your goddamned mouth and do as you're _fucking_ told. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Maloney slowly answered in defeat.

"Yes. I understand."

* * *

- _September 17th , 1943 0400 hours ~ __U.S.S. Manchester (Location: North Sea) _-

The alarm on Charlotte's watch woke her up at 4am sharp. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and checked to make sure Francisca was still sleeping soundly. Grabbing a small satchel she had placed next to her bed earlier she quickly and silently slipped out of her cabin and made her way towards the starboard aft deck.

She had a date to keep.

Turning up the collar on her flight jacket Charlotte made her way topside. It wasn't quite pitch black out, taking into consideration the dim illumination from the deck lighting and the ships running lights. The air was crisp and cold but at least the storm had abated. Shards of wet ice adhered to the metal railings.

Catching her bearings she headed aft wards. Soon she spotted the waiting figure standing below one of the gun turrets. She made a low whistle.

"Yo, Bill. Over here." Charlotte called out in a shouted whisper. Bill stepped out of the shadows to meet her. "You been waiting long?" she asked.

"Nah." Bill answered her. "My teeth aren't even chattering yet." He closed his coat tighter. "Did you bring your stuff?"

In answer, Charlotte thumbed the thick leather strap draped over her shoulder. "Now, before we start this, I want you to answer me honestly… Did you clear this with Lieutenant Hughes?"

"Well… yes…" Bill answered uneasily. "Kind of. Obliquely. Might have mentioned something in passing." Charlotte gave him a wry look. "I just didn't want to involve him if I'm wrong. And I defiantly don't want to involve him if I'm right"

"Okay." Charlotte nodded. "I get it. But right about what?" Bill gave her a helpless look. "Right." she sighed. "I guess we'll know when we find it."

The enormity of what they were about to do suddenly hit Bill square on. He was about to disobey standing orders by allowing someone from outside the project to get a good look at the M.A.G.U.S.s' inner workings. Forget what would happen to him… this could potentially result in a court-martial offense for Charlotte if they were caught.

"Captain Yeager I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this." He said seriously "I shouldn't have asked you to get involved. It's our problem after all." He took a deep breath. "We should have plenty of time to suss things out once we've reached Karlsland."

Charlotte stopped and gave him a questioning look. The pilot gave an exasperated sigh. "I don't want you to fuck up your career because you listened to one of my stupid hunches."

She gave him a wicked grin. "Not a chance in _**hell**_ Corporal. I've been **_dying_** to dismantle one of those puppies since the day you guys showed up at Capel-le-Ferne."

She started walking towards the opening to the aft flight deck gangway, motioning for Bill to follow.

"Besides, I'm your CO. At least for the next two and a half weeks." She gave him a sly wink. "I gotta watch out for my people, right?"

(**)

A gated chain link fence blocked entrance to Hanger 2 from the aft gangway. Bill was running through ways to defeat the locks in his head. But Charlotte strolled unconcerned to the side gate and it swung open at her touch.

"Magic?" Bill asked his partner in crime.

"Nope." Charlotte answered, turning to smile at him. "I guess I kinda broke the lock when I was down here earlier checking on my Striker." She bowed and motioned him inside. "Whoops."

As they suspected, the Hanger was empty and there were no guards posted. Both Bill and Charlotte relaxed noticeably. Why would there be? The M.A.G.U.S. were no longer classified. They were just another aircraft being hauled along.

Bill kept lookout as Charlotte opened the electrostatic seal to his M.A.G.U.S. and climbed up inside. She draped her left leg and arm in the flight harness and laid out her tool kit.

Reaching back into the bag once more she pulled out a portable spectrometer and a little metallic gadget of her own invention - which was essentially a home made hand-held electron microscope. Topping off her stealth-engineering ensemble was a tiny sketch pad and mechanical pencil so she could diagram the thing and study it at her leisure.

She went at it non-stop for over forty-five minutes. Bill could hear her mumbling and sometimes cursing all the while. He almost jumped out of his skin when the spectrometer gave a loud squeal, shattering the silence of the Hanger deck. He heard Charlotte give him a muffled "Sorry."

Amazingly, no one seemed to hear it. No one approached. "Almost done." Charlotte told him. The blackness of the sky was just beginning to turn grey with the approaching dawn.

"I hope so." Bill answered back. "We're gonna get caught in the middle of the flight crews' morning calisthenics if we don't beat feet real soon."

Charlotte finally emerged from the armor, covered in sweat, oil and lubricant. "Grab these for me, will'ya?" She asked Bill as she handed the tool kit and the spectrometer down for him to collect. She hopped out of the unit, closed the seal and quickly put her jacket back on.

"Well?" he pressed. "What did you find out?"

"Later Bill, later." The redhead answered as she packed up her tools. "We need to get topside pronto or else we are going to have to answer some questions we really don't want to answer right now."

(**)

It was exactly 0530 hours when they reached the quarter-decks. A handful of bleary crewmen were milling about, getting an early star on morning muster. Charlotte and Bill parted company there and went back to their respective cabins.

Bill was relatively safe regardless. Even if Vincent had noticed him gone he wasn't likely to question Bill as to his whereabouts. Francisca, on the other hand, would never stop grilling Charlotte if she noticed the buxom bombshell had left their cabin for an extended period of time.

Luckily for Charlotte, when she slipped back into their room Francisca was still sprawled out on her back snoring up a storm. She shimmied out of her clothes and slid into bed. She would wait for morning reveille and pretend to wake up normally with the rest of them.

While she was lying in bed waiting for 0600 to come along her thoughts were racing a mile a minute -piecing together all that she had seen in the past hour.

She allowed her mind and perceptions to slide into overdrive… … …

Bill Fiske had every right to feel uneasy Charlotte reflected. The General Maloney and the R&D boffins had withheld vital information about the aircraft from the pilots. They had effectively strapped these unwitting soldiers into a potential time bomb that _may_ go off at any time or may not _ever_ go off at **_all_**.

She hadn't told Bill the **real** reason she had taken a personal interest in helping him answer some nagging questions he had about the machine he was flying. It wasn't just because she was curious about the tech nor because the M.A.G.U.S. pilots were 'her people', but because of a piece of paper she found on the Mildenhall fair grounds late yesterday evening as they were packing up to return to the base.

For some reason the windblown notepaper caught her eye. She picked it up and soon found herself reading a final draft of the speech Maloney had given on-stage before the Combat Demo. He had obviously dropped it in his haste to chastise his 'uncooperative' pilots.

She had been about to toss it aside in disinterest when she had noticed a hand-written notation, crudely scrawled along the bottom of the page. What was written there both surprised and troubled her.

**_M.A.G.U.S. core fragment salvage prioritized above all other considerations.  
pilots are expendable. acceptable collateral damage. changes in core fragment  
wavelength forward to W.A.R.L.O.C.K. program._**

_"Pilots are 'expendable', huh?"_Charlotte scoffed. It had to be a euphemism. He couldn't possibly literally mean expendable as in dead… could he? But 'acceptable collateral damage'?

_"If he really meant it that way why in god's name would he actually write it down? Is he an idiot? Some pulp fiction villain?"_ She folded the paper and slid it into her pocket.

Considering the kind of man she knew the General to be she couldn't dismiss any possibility. She knew protocol required her to talk to Lieutenant Hughes first but she decided to approach Bill Fiske instead. She felt they had built up a rapport over the past few days and she knew that something had been eating at him during their last couple nights of bar chats. _'Did you ever pilot a plane that you just didn't trust mechanically?'_ he had asked her. '_Like, the entire time you're in flight you're expecting something to go wrong?'_

She had intended to talk to him about it the following day but he beat her to it, resulting in their clandestine mission to the hanger deck.

Bill hadn't openly stated his misgivings about the M.A.G.U.S. but Charlotte could make an educated guess – probably the same misgivings she herself would have – what guarantee did they have that the Core Fragment wouldn't 'wake-up' somehow. That would be catastrophic… especially if it happened while the pilot was inside.

That was the biggest thing of immediate concern to Charlotte. The Core Fragment cage - as well as the Control Matrix it was mounted on. Apparently, the Control Matrix was used to manipulate the inert Fragment using different hypersonic waveforms. Grey matter regeneration, power distribution, communications array… she needed to know how that worked.

If the guys were stuck with the M.A.G.U.S., she intended to make certain the M.A.G.U.S. power source was foolproof. If it weren't then she would **make** it foolproof.

What had Maloney said in his speech? They were ready to begin mass production? Really? The prototypes hadn't even tasted live enemy fire yet. And what was the rush? And why tell a crowd of people you were trying to rally to your cause that the people who had been protecting them so far were unreliable?

So many unrelated questions emanating from the same source.

She needed to find a secluded workspace as soon as they got to Soesterberg. Luckily, she knew the Chief Warrant Officer at Soesterberg so finding an empty workbench shouldn't be a problem.

She needed to speak to someone familiar with R&D protocols and maybe some level of access. Someone she could trust… someone within a day's travel… someone… OH! Oh! Oh! Oh! Hartmann's geeky little sister with the lab coat and the explosives fetish.

Charlotte found herself a little bit frightened of the responsibility she had just taken on. Her instincts told her that there was more to all of this than appeared on the surface. The guys would only be safe if the lid were blown off this mess while they were still with 'on-tour' the Propaganda Squad.

_"Pilots are expendable"_

If she couldn't figure this all out before they left their last stop in Riga then Bill, Vince and the Lieutenant would report to their permanent posting in Karlsland. She honestly didn't know what would happen to them afterwards.

_"Acceptable collateral damage."_

She only knew that they could potentially be in danger, not from the enemy, but from their own superiors.

* * *

_… to be continued…_


	9. Amsterdam on Five Dollars a Day Part 2

**A/N** - Welcome back everyone. I apologize for the lengthy delay. Lots of crap happened. Suffice it to say, I would have rather been writing. Picking up right where we left off... stuff's about to blow up. A lot of you have liked the light n fluffy Yoshikette and the dialogue. There is one nay-sayer who doesn't feel there is a believable bond between our two young lovelies. I thought I had showed it amply, but if not, maybe this chapter will change your mind.

Please remember, there is no one main character in this story. If anything, there are four main characters. I've said that from the very beginning.

Thanks for the once-over Flygon Master. The real work starts in a month or two. Gird your loins. ^_^  
Thanks also, to EtherealFox for the proper Romanji spelling lesson once more. He is also now in charge of the translation projects over at the Strike Witches Wiki. Check him out and show him your support everyone. peacepeace.

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2012 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Nine – Amsterdam On Five Dollars a Day [Part 2]

- _September 21st , 1943 ~ Soesterberg Royal Nedurlund Air Force Base_-

Charlotte had convinced Bill Fiske to take the day off with the others by telling him, quite truthfully, that it would take some serious grinding on her part to make sense of anything she had found and to give her a day or two to show him her findings. She was immersed in the meticulous process of correlating all the data she had gathered when Ursula Hartmann showed up.

She had tried to contact Hartmann the previous day. The Karlslander finally got back to her using a secured channel. That raised a couple of eyebrows in the communications tower but no one said a word. As they were over a secure line, Charlotte was able to discuss the situation and her needs in detail.

Since they had previously met, Charlotte felt comfortable being completely open with Ursula. In the end, the Karlsland Lieutenant told Charlotte she would get back to her ASAP. Even though speed was promised Charlotte was still surprised to receive a call back about two hours later.

The redhead immediately noticed the slightly different tone to Hartmann's voice in this conversation. "Hey Shirley, I found those R&D fuel-mix charts you wanted."

"_Fuel-mix charts?"_ thought Charlotte. However she instinctively answered. "Great. Thanks for the help."

"Y'know," Hartmann drawled. "I'm overdue for some leave. I'll drop them by myself since it's only a half-day's travel. It'd be great to see you again Shirley – relive all those great times we had together. Ha. Remember that guy with the thing, at that weird little pub in Wickshire?"

Charlotte was confused for an instant. She'd only met Ursula Hartmann twice before. The first time was for about twenty minutes, when she flew with a transport into Capel-le-Ferne in order to pick up Erica for their mothers' funeral. The second was maybe a total of a few hours when she was on base to demonstrate some new ordnance. They had met but they weren't on a first name basis.

And they had never been to a pub together.

"Ok Urs... sounds good." Charlotte answered in the same casual tone. "There are some great joints in Amsterdam. I'll treat you this time."

So. There was something going on. Something much more involved than what she had thought. That was glaringly obvious. Something so big that Hartmann wouldn't even talk about it on a secure line. She had gone out of her way to try to make both the research request and her request for leave time seem innocuous. Nervous and intrigued, she had awaited the Karlslander's arrival.

(**)

Ursula Hartmann proved to be a godsend. She came equipped with a wealth of classified knowledge and a taste for the clandestine. As well as…

"The M.A.G.U.S. project notes? How on earth did you get these?"

"One of the project heads was on loan from our facility." Hartmann answered. "It wasn't difficult to dip into her files and pull this stuff up. Some of it is redacted but that's mostly personnel-related stuff. The research itself seems to be untouched."

Charlotte was grateful beyond words. "I can't thank you enough Hartmann. This will save me so much time in research." She took the folders offered to her. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way just for this. It wasn't a problem was it?"

"It is a problem," The little blonde researcher commented. "...but not in the way you may think. The truth is you've stumbled into something way bigger than you are aware of." She kicked at her rucksack. "I've requested a week's leave. There is some heavy stuff going down and, quite frankly, you are going to need some help."

Charlotte gave her an inquisitive look. Ursula merely nodded her head towards the stack of reports Charlotte now held. "Why don't you read over some of that stuff while I talk to the base C.O. about getting a billet for a few days."

Deep into the night the busty redhead was still immersed in reports. One thing she had gotten wrong… the M.A.G.U.S. program itself wasn't the problem - the problem was the internecine political forces propping it up. It was astonishing how much could be kept under wraps by hiding it in plain sight. Putting together a number of seemingly unrelated occurrences revealed a clear trail of circumstance and result. All leading to a clear singular goal. A goal that was horrifying.

She now understood why Ursula had decided to stay on and help them. This was undeniable proof of massive corruption and outright treason, of an almost inconceivable scope. When faced with a cesspool such as this, one had few options – turn your back and pretend it doesn't exist or dive in head-first and get filthy. The redoubtable Ms. Hartmann seemed to like it dirty.

* * *

- _September 22nd , 1943 ~ Soesterberg Royal Nedurlund Air Force Base, Amsterdam_-

Francisca had been at odds as to what to do with herself. Earlier in the day, the little Romagnian had finally tracked down Charlotte in one of the empty bays in the ordinance area, only to find the older girl hip-deep in technical drawings and having a heated discussion with some glasses girl that looked an awful lot like Erica Hartmann.

A familiar ozone-like metallic tang from a metal lathe hung in the air. Shirley was either building something or taking something apart. Francisca, from experience, knew better than to interrupt the Liberion Ace when she was immersed in something like this.

She decided instead to hunt down Lynette and Yoshika. They had had four days alone together, not counting the group exercises, so she figured they ought to be feeling social by now. Not to mention the way the two lovebirds had floated through breakfast a couple of mornings ago and spent a good portion of that entire day in a complete daze. It was pretty obvious they had sealed the deal on the trip over and Francisca really wanted to grill Yoshika for the juicy details.

As she trotted up to the front gate she spotted the two girls in question waiting patiently for her. Both greeted her with a smile. "Lucchini-chan konnichiwa." Yoshika greeted her kindly.

"_Ahhh. Girls day out."_ Francisca mused happily. _"Just what the dottore ordered."_

"Hi guys. Are we ready for a day on the town?" the tiny twin-tail asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Yoshika chirped enthusiastically "There's a ton of stuff to see. I hardly know where to start." Lynne gave her a warm smile and a wave. "Good afternoon." She fell into step behind the two smaller girls as they scampered ahead, chattering excitedly.

It was a fun, if uneventful,day. Even though technically the beginning of autumn the picturesque city still looked and felt rather summery. The window boxes of nearly every business and residence were overflowing with colorful flowers. Modern motorcars shared the cobblestone streets with horse-drawn carts.

The light breeze was surprisingly warm - which felt odd considering they had just come through a sleet storm on the USS Manchester just a couple of days earlier. The three power-tripped the town seeing as much as they could. Francisca was amused by the Amsterdam stacked semi-circular canals. "Our canals are like a road system. I don't quite get the point of these." the tiny Romagnan quipped.

It was later in the afternoon when all the commotion happened.

Lynne and Yoshika were strolling happily hand-in-hand down one of the main thoroughfares with Francisca in the lead. The girls, as well as the crowds of people on the sidewalk around them, were startled by a loud explosion of a truck backfiring. The unfortunate horse standing next to the truck bolted in terror dragging a crate-laden wagon behind it, sending a crowd of people scattering. Among those fleeing was a young boy who tripped and landed directly in the path of the runaway equine.

The three young pilots had no chance to react before the horse trampled the boy, running over him with the wagon as well, as it raced away. By unspoken agreement Francisca began chasing down the runaway horse while Yoshika and Lynette raced to the boy's side. He was in very bad shape when they reached him. His entire body was covered in bruises and abrasions. His left leg was bent at such an angle that even a layman would be able to tell it was broken. Dark purplish-yellow with the outline of the broken femur pressing the skin from the inside. Worse was the sickening whistle that emitted when he gasped for breath.

Yoshika's power flared to life about her. "His ribcage has been crushed. One of his lungs is punctured... the left one most likely." Yoshika said out loud to no one in particular. Her mind raced as she tried to decide which injury she should attend to first. She was shaken from her thoughts by the quiet but confident voice of her girlfriend.

"I want to help Yoshika. What can I do to help?" Lynette asked.

"Ok." Yoshika responded. "For right now, try to calm him down a bit. Talk to him. If you can, get his mind off of what I'm doing." She focused all of her concentration on the young patient in front of her. Lynette held the boy's hand and spoke to him in a comforting manner. He responded to her voice and tried his best to put on a brave face. Ultimately the pain overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious.

"Yoshika!" Lynne blurted out in alarm.

"It's ok." Yoshika assured her. "He doesn't have a concussion. It's better this way." She continued to pour her magic into the small broken body beneath her. There were a couple of small pools of blood forming on the boy's chest. "Could..." she panted with exertion. "could you try to find some cloth we can make bandages out of? Maybe someone in the crowd could help."

The little Fuso ace was startled when she immediately heard the sound of ripping cloth. Looking up she was surprised to see Lynette, now clad in only her bra, tearing her white dress shirt into strips. Yoshika allowed herself a small smile of gratification at the way Lynne was stepping up. Her girl really was wonderful.

She directed Lynette to gently lift the small body so she could apply the makeshift bandages. Then, carefully placing him back on the ground, she continued to use her magic to repair the boy's internal injuries. Throughout the ordeal Lynne was right beside her – supporting her, encouraging her, focusing her... a comforting hand on her shoulder, mopping the sweat from her brow.

"_Is this how it will be with us from now on?"_ Yoshika wondered. While she worked she imagined how their lives might be. Living together, maybe even working together. _"That would be...really nice."_ she thought happily.

An ambulance had finally arrived. Yoshika's quick action and her amazing power had ensured that not only would the boy make a full recovery there wouldn't even be any scarring. She was amply rewarded by the loving hug Lynne had gathered her into – one that Francisca didn't hesitate to join in on.

As they were in the center of town, they were able to find a woman's clothing shop in short order. While Lynette went in to find a replacement for the shirt she'd used on triage care, Yoshika and Francisca sat down on a park bench across the street from the store and started chatting amicably.

"Nice job there Yoshika. You really saved that kid's hash." Francisca said with a tone of admiration.

"That's what I do. Well... that's what I want to do someday you know?" Yoshika answered her seriously. "I want to be a Doctor, just like my okaasan and obaachan."

"Lynne seemed to be a big help there too, huh?" Francisca nodded her head toward the dress shop. "She jumped right in with no hesitation whatsoever."

"Yeah," Yoshika answered with a sigh and a dreamy smile. "She's so great. That's why I love her."

"Yeah, she really is." Francisca shifted a bit uncomfortably. "It really makes me feel like all of us failed her somehow."

Yoshika was somewhat startled to hear Lucchini sound so down all of a sudden. Her curiosity was peaked. "What do you mean Lucchini-chan?"

"Lynne was with us for about five or six months before you showed up. She was nice enough - we all liked her - but she never participated in the group. We'd invite her, try to include her, but she always kept to herself. Stayed closed off."

The tiny Romagnian looked down, almost ashamedly. "After a while, I guess... we just stopped trying."

"But then you came along Yoshika. You shook up the whole place when you arrived." The young twin-tail grinned at the memory. "And you got Lynne's attention right off the bat. She seemed to change almost overnight. She started doing stuff with the rest of us and she got way more confident in the field. Now look at her. Jumping in to perform triage, getting half naked in public without a second thought." she chuckled lightly. "I didn't know she had it in her."

Yoshika gave her little friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Lynette always had it in her. I don't know why I was the one to bring it out of her but I'm glad I was. I'm really glad."

"I truly believe you were the one she was waiting for." Francisca looked up through her bangs and gave her friend a warm smile. "In Romagna we say '_E__ravamo destinati a incontrarci_'. It means '_W__e were destined to meet_'. I'd have to say that really describes you and Lynne to a 'T'."

Their conversation was interrupted by the cheerful voice of the girl in question. "Yoshika! Francisca! Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long."

"Hope you have a saying for '_destined to be together forever_' Lucchini-chan." murmured Yoshika as she rose from the bench.

Francisca watched with a smile as Yoshika rushed into Lynne's waiting arms._ "Yeah, Yoshika. There's one for that too. Gotcha covered."_

* * *

- _September 21st , 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall Shared Flight Facilities_-

The Major standing before the expansive mahogany desk threw a nervous salute to the man sitting behind it. "Sir, our IDT reports Dr. Hartmann arrived at Soesterberg late this afternoon. She made contact with Captain Yeager and has been in her company ever since."

"She should never have been allowed to leave in the first place. The whole base should have been on lock-down after you discovered the security breach. St. Trond's Commander must be an imbecile." Trevor Maloney growled. "Well, this works for us in a way. Now we know where all of our leaks are. We can plug them all at once."

He reached for a notebook lying on his desk and flipped it open to one of the back-most pages. "They will be leaving for Copenhagen day after tomorrow. That means Lieutenant Hartmann will be heading back to St. Trond. Have her intercepted before she returns to her base."

"Yes sir." The Major answered immediately."What about the M.A.G.U.S. pilots and the Witches from the 501st? How do we deal with them?"

"Quite easily and with no fingerprints." The General replied. "Have one of our operatives in Copenhagen sabotage the sub-harmonic cloak on the M.A.G.U.S. units. We'll just let the Neuroi take care of them for us on their trip to Riga. We'll go in when it's done and pick up the pieces."

"Sir. Yes sir!" The Major snapped another salute and spun on his heel, leaving General Maloney to ponder his thoughts.

"_It'd be nice if their heads are still intact afterward, but you can't have everything._"

* * *

- _September 23rd , 1943 ~ Soesterberg Royal Nedurlund Air Force Base_-

After almost 72 hours of straight research and heavy grinding, Charlotte had arranged a briefing room and the entire Propaganda Squad were in attendance. After all, what she had to tell them affected all of them.

"As the Fragment performs repeated functions it creates for itself a 'neural network' for lack of a better term." Charlotte explained. "When each of you first got your suits, the Core Fragments had only basic neural pathways etched into them. They could fly but that was about it. Am I right?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Vince confirmed. "About as agile as a tractor in a swamp."

"But with each test run it got easier to handle? To the point where you feel, as I've heard Vince here put it more than once, _'as_ _one with the machine_'? Is it really that responsive now?"

"I've gotta say yes. It's defiantly more than just flying it." Bill answered thoughtfully. "When I'm performing a complex maneuver it feels as if it reads the tiny nuances I envision in my mind. There is no other way to describe how it performs exactly as I want it to."

"Ah, yes." Charlotte cut in again. "That brings us to the control yokes. Bill, you said a couple of times you got the jitters and your palms were sweaty, your skin and the yoke turned slightly green. That's because the yokes are primarily copper. Copper with gold inlays. That's not a fashion statement." She poked a finger in Bill's face. "What do you know about computers?"

"What? Umm... I read 'Popular Mechanics' so I'm kinda up-to-speed as much as any layman would be."

"Well not to put to-fine a point on it, you guys are being used to program the Fragments. Somehow your nerve impulses or brainwaves or whateverthehell are transmitted through the control interface and etched into the Fragment as neural pathways."

"Like the Positronic brains in Dr. Asimov's robot books?" Bill asked hesitantly.

Charlotte gave a delighted response "Yes! Exactly so." She eyed the pilot critically and grinned. "So you _do_ have hobbies besides cruising for girls, huh, flyboy? My estimation of you just went up a couple of notches."

"Uh… thanks?" Bill answered with a hapless grin of his own.

"So… guys…" Charlotte continued in a more serious manner. "I have a current working theory, based on what I've discovered, along with certain information provided to me by Lieutenant Hartmann here and some gut instinct." She turned and walked to the back of the room. "First though, I have something I need to show you... Ursula?"

The lab-coat frocked blonde nodded and turned the lights off. Charlotte clicked a switch and the slide projector on the table in front of her flared to life. Projected onto the white wall was what looked to be a non-descript military base – someplace with a lot of sand and wide-open areas with a couple of palm trees in the background. Framed in the shot were four large and very familiar-looking objects.

Bill sat up with a start. "Are those...?"

"Yep." Charlotte confirmed. "Those are M.A.G.U.S. units - the M.A.G.U.S. Mark I to be specific."

"Mark I?" questioned Lt. Hughes. "We were told that our units were prototypes."

"That looks like a desert." Bill stated. "Not the Liberion Mid-west, we don't have palm trees. Soooo... Afrika? The Middle East?"

"Near as we can figure, Northern Afrika. Ursula here thinks that these photo's were taken about eight months ago." Charlotte answered, looking over her shoulder.

Hartmann nodded in the affirmative. Charlotte then advanced the slide show, clicking through picture after picture showing the Mark I units performing maneuvers.

Vince's confusion was evident in his voice. "So they lied to us about our units being the first? Why? What would it matter if we knew we were another part of the same test program?"

Ursula cleared her throat and spoke up for the first time. "Well, for one thing... Shirley, will you advance to the next slide?" The picture on the wall slid aside for the next in the series. Nothing but sand and the same palm trees in the distance. The buildings from the previous photos were missing.

"...For one thing, the base is no longer there." Ursula continued. "I tried to research when and why the base was decommissioned. I found that – officially at least – it never existed. And the depository I dipped into to get these records four days ago, when Captain Yeager here called me, has been sanitized. Whatever this is all about, it is current and ongoing."

The glasses-wearing research scientist frowned. "That's not the biggest bombshell either. When I pulled these records I was also able to identify who the test pilots were. All four are now listed as M.I.A. All mention as to where or how they went missing and their personnel files have been redacted."

The slide projector advanced once more. This time showing a thickly forested area, with Quonset huts nestled closely together and covered by air camouflage netting. The mechanical figures shown standing on the air field looked quite different from the now-familiar configuration of the M.A.G.U.S. Slightly smaller. More angular.

Advancing through this series of slides it became quite evident that these new units were quicker and much more agile. And glaringly, a completely different set of weaponry was in use... particle beams.

At this point Bill was beyond being amazed. "What in god's name are those things?"

Ursula pushed her glasses up on her nose and glanced down at her notes. "They are called W.A.R.L.O.C.K.'s. They are fully autonomous war machines in the shape of a humanoid." Looking up from her notepad she continued. "It's powered by a captured Neuroi core. There is a computer inside that calculates distance, trajectory, firing solutions...basically, you give it a target and let it go nuts."

Everyone in the room was silent as they took in the spectacle of sheer carnage displayed in each succeeding slide. Ursula Hartmann sighed deeply as she closed the pages of the folder she held.

"These photos date back to about May of this year. This program was well underway while the M.A.G.U.S. program was being formed." a frown marred the brow of the lab-frocked cutie. "The W.A.R.L.O.C.K. program has since been discontinued. The W.A.R.L.O.C.K.'s had a tendency to go rogue and turn on their controllers"

She glanced up at Charlotte and indicated she should continue. The Captain advanced the slides once more. Again, some sort of hidden training facility was on display. This time, the mecha units they viewed were radically different from the previous two. Much more compact and angular than either the M.A.G.U.S. or W.A.R.L.O.C.K. units. Although much smaller than their counterparts they seemed to exude an aura of deadly intent.

"This is where things get scary." Ursula commented. "You guys pay attention, because Captain Yeager and I think this directly affects you – in a decidedly negative fashion."

As Charlotte advanced the slide-show once again, Ursula continued on with her narration.

"This research base is not-so coincidentally located in Karlsland – adjunct to the base you boys will be reporting to. When the W.A.R.L.O.C.K. program didn't pan out the M.A.G.I. program was instated alongside the M.A.G.U.S. program. Another manned solution to the AI problem that plagued the W.A.R.L.O.C.K. In fact the M.A.G.U.S. is, in a round-about way, a support program for the M.A.G.I."

Bill continued to be the most vocal of the three male pilots. "Waitaminute. Those M.A.G.I. things are manned?" he exclaimed incredulous. "What are they piloted by? Dwarfs?"

The attempt at levity fell flat as Ursula deadpanned "No. Not dwarfs." She remained silent for a moment. Then continued in a serious voice. "I won't lie to you, this has me more than a little spooked."

The slide currently up on the wall showed an indoor facility that seemed half construction bay and half operating theater. Fully visible on the wheeled gurneys were four obviously dead bodies. Obvious mostly because the tops of the skulls of all four cadavers had been removed. The next slide reveled a sight that, while a logical outcome of the previous picture, was highly disturbing nonetheless.

Four human brains – encased in bell jars and floating in some sort of viscous fluid. The sight felt unreal. It actually took some few seconds before it could fully register with everyone in the room just exactly what they were looking at. They all recoiled in a similar fashion, although Lynette seemed more deeply effected by the sight than the other five pilots. She turned away from the screen and buried her head in Yoshika's shoulder. It took everything she had in her to keep from crying.

* * *

_...to be continued..._


	10. Don't Stand in My Way!

**A/N -** "Okairi mina." _ *Welcome back everyone.*_

Here we are again. I intend to keep up the pace as we close in on the end of our tale. There are also now two spin-off's in the works. One is a Lucchini/Yeager-centric piece called **_"The Promise_**" - the other is "_**Untold Tales of the 501st**_", inspired by a couple of PM's asking me to expand on the mythos of "_Murphy's Marauders_" from Chapter 7.

From what I read, the third Strike Witches Movie is well under way. Cannot wait to see more of AIC Spirit's awesomeness. Also, what did you all think of "Girls und Panzer"? The final two episodes are going to be dropping in a week or two, so if you haven't watched it yet do it now.

Where do we go from here? Stay tuned and find out. Thanks for reading, all of you. I appreciate each and every one of you and I thank you for your support and encouragement. peacepeace.

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2013 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Ten – Don't Stand in My Way

- _September 23rd, 1943 ~ Soesterberg Air Force Base – Briefing Room 16 _-

The Propaganda Squad stared in horror at the grisly display projected on the wall before them. The bodies of the Mark I pilots lay on gurneys, the empty skull cavities prominently facing the camera.

"Once the neural pathways are inscribed into the a core fragment they become highly responsive, however they are only fully compatible with the pilot who inscribed them. " lectured Ursula. "The researchers in the M.A.G.I. program discovered the entire pilot isn't required to operate them...only the living mind that created the pathways in the first place."

Charlotte resolutely continued the slide-show. A number of pictures showed surgeons inserting electrodes directly into the brain tissue. The bell jars containing the human brains were then placed into the open fronts of the M.A.G.I. units and lead wires from within the constructs were attached to the electrode leads. Finally the core fragments from each pilots' M.A.G.U.S. were removed and placed within the containment cage of the corresponding M.A.G.I.

At this point Lynette's body began trembling furiously. Yoshika discreetly leaned forward and spoke quietly in Lynette's ear. "Lynne, if this is too much for you..."

"**NO**!" Lynette protested loudly enough to elicit a reaction from everyone. Then, embarrassed, she repeated more quietly. "No. I'm ok, Yoshika. Really. I can take it. This is important. And I'm part of this squad too... I need to know."

"Are you sure kid?" Bill asked her with concern in his voice. "None of us will think any less of you if you need to take a breather." Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

"You don't need to force yourself Lynne." Charlotte assured her. "Yoshika can fill you in on the important stuff later."

Lynette looked up at the genuinely worried faces of her squad mates. Knowing that not only Yoshika, but all of them, were there for her gave her courage and strengthened her resolve "It's ok everyone. Really. I'm one of you and I want to face everything with you." She smiled weakly. "This is no different than some of the things I've faced in battle."

Ursula Hartmann harrumphed loudly. "Of course this is different. War is war. _**This**_ is butchery, plain and simple. But it **is** important for all of you to see this" She looked back at Charlotte and gave her a slight nod. Once more the slides advanced showing a mustached man with sharp eyes and dapper suit standing on a raised metal grating overlooking the operating theater.

"That man is the M.A.G.I. project head." Ursula stated. "Dr. Josef Mengelé. He's a brilliant, albeit twisted, surgeon who lacks any shred of ethics or decency." Her eyebrow arched in distaste. "He is semi-famous, or infamous rather, in my country already. About 8 years ago, Dr. Mengelé was discovered to be behind a rash of disappearances near Franzford and Dusseldorf."

"I remember." Yoshika gasped.

"What do you mean 'you remember'?" Ursula eyed the younger girl sceptically. "You must have been like, what, six or seven? And you lived in another country."

"I've always liked to read." Yoshika replied. "My otosan had every major newspaper in the world delivered to his laboratory. That's how I learned to read Britannish, Galliash and Karlslandian."

The tiny Fuso maiden squinted her eyes in concentration for a moment. "Dr. Josef Mengelé..." she recited. "...was convicted of serial abduction, unlawful imprisonment, torture and conducting illegal and unethical medical experimentation on the people that he abducted, right? I thought he was sentenced to life in prison"

"He was." Hartmann confirmed. "Unfortunately someone in Central Command must have had enough clout to get the sentence mitigated. The general consensus being that his knowledge and expertise were critical to the war effort." Her frown grew deeper. "If you think that your General Maloney is evil then you just haven't met Dr. Mengelé. This guy is evil à la mode. Evil with a cherry on top. I am ashamed that he is a Karlslander."

"But... why?" Vince finally asked. "Ah mean... _**why**_? What purpose is served by choppin' these guys up an' shovin' their **brains** in a freakin' **jar**? Ah jes' don' git it. Was there an accident? Did they try to save them?"

Ursula looked sadly at the young man – still a boy, really. His expression was filled with a combination of fear and hope. She hated to be the person to have to introduce him to humanities darker side .

"I'd like to say yes Mallory but it would be a lie." she sighed. "This next bit should answer your question. This is a visual record of the first major live weapons test of the M.A.G.I., taking place approximately three weeks ago. Right about the time you people were doing your first combat demo for the press at Capel-le-Ferne, this was going on right under Central Command's nose. Captain Yeager, please continue."

Again the picture changed. The first few shots were a flyover of a tiny mountain village. "This Chezhnu village is ...was... somewhere in the Orussian Ural Mountains. A good half-days travel from any form of civilization."

The group stared in disbelief as they watched the M.A.G.I. units sequential spectacle of slaughter. Every single inhabitant of the village – men, women and children – without hesitation. The final photograph, a pile of dead bodies lying in the village square, lingered on the wall. The room was dead silent for a few moments. Then everyone began talking at once.

"No...they couldn't have... all those people... horrible...inhuman...oh my god... impossible... this is insane... how can they _**do**_ this... **how** can they get _**away**_ with this?"

"**There**." Ursula said in anger, pointing at the image. "_That's_ why. _**That**_ is what they have been after all along. Human intellect with no humanity, no personality. An unstoppable killing machine incapable of fear or morality or disobedience...or even independent thought."

Charlotte, who had allowed Ursula take over the lecture took over once more. "It is my opinion that all of this has _nothing_ to do with winning the war or beating the Neuroi. This is about power and control. Control over people... over armies... over countries!" She walked to the front of the room and sat down heavily on the stool and leaned forward on the lectern.

"Don't forget, before the Neuroi showed up a lot of the countries in the Alliance were about to go to war with one another. It should be no surprise that there are elements in the Allied command structure that seek to see it undermined." Picking up a pile of file folders and shaking them for emphasis she continued.

"I'm no big fan of conspiracy theories but – everything we've uncovered, everything we've pieced together - leads me to believe that there is a secret cabal within the Allied military whose goal is nothing short of world domination."

Ursula Hartmann faced the M.A.G.U.S. pilots. "Captain Yeager initially called me because she was worried about you three. The truth is that the tech behind your battle suits is rock solid. You should have no problems with them. But in light of these other discoveries we've made..."

The Karlslander was cut off by Charlotte as the Liberion squadron commander walked over and flipped the wall switch. The lights flared to life causing everyone to blink as their eyes adjusted.

"I've already made my decision. We are going to continue on with our tour as if there were nothing wrong. We leave for Copenhagen tomorrow. In the meantime Lieutenant Hartmann will fly to Capel-le-Ferne and report this to the one person I know we can trust, Commander Wilcke."

Looking at each and every one of them in turn and seeing their emotions clearly written on their faces – confusion, anger, fear – she understood that they were looking to her for leadership, for answers and for guidance. She was determined not to disappoint them.

"Our last stop before Karlsland will be Riga. Hopefully this thing will be blown wide open before we are scheduled to leave there. But if it is not, I'm telling you guys here and now, there is no way I will allow you to report to your posting. If you do, I have no doubt you will end up in a jar like those other guys." Charlotte's eyes narrowed in determination. "I swear to you I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Ladies and gentlemen somehow, someway, we are going to expose everything that we've found, everyone involved and put an end to it."

(**)

The following day, the personnel and civilian visitors to Soesterberg were treated to an outstanding and entertaining exhibition of combat piloting. The show went over as big here as it had in Britannia. With one major difference – Yoshika and Lynette were surprised with being the guests of honor at a special award ceremony. The base commander and the Mayor of Amsterdam were both pleased to honor the two girls for their heroic rescue of the young traffic accident victim they had saved. The commander gave both girls a medal and the Mayor – not to be outdone – presented both girls with a key to the city.

After the festivities were through, everyone prepared for their flight to Copenhagen. After seeing their personal effects were stowed on another ship (this time a civilian freighter) and would meet them at their destination, they did the final flight check on their machines.

Charlotte and Ursula Hartmann both filed their flight plans with Soesterberg's con-tower. Charlotte to Copenhagen and Ursula to St. Trond Airfield. They parted company at this point, Charlotte admonishing Ursula to be careful and to be sneaky. Both of them knew this was both the most crucial and the most dangerous part of the whole plan.

Anyone plotting to stop them would be targeting Ursula before she could blow any whistles. And anyone looking for her would realize pretty quickly that she had deviated from her flight plan. Hopefully, those people would take some time to figure out her actual destination.

* * *

- _September 24st, 1943 ~ RAF Mildenhall Shared Flight Facilities _-

"Well?" General Maloney barked at his subordinate. "Do they have her yet? What is the hold up?"

Major Sinquett gulped in distress. "S-sir. Lt. Hartmann has not yet arrived at the expected coordinates. We've backtracked along the flight plan she submitted but there is no sign of her."

Maloney steepled his hands and stared at the blank wall in back of the room, deep in thought. The Major was steeling his nerve to ask if something was wrong when Maloney suddenly murmured "Capel-le-Ferne."

"Sir?" the Major asked in surprise.

"She's gone to Capel-le-Ferne." the General responded coldly. "It's the only answer. Yeager sent her to talk to Wilcke." His mind raced furiously. "She won't be contacting the base beforehand. She will likely maintain radio silence until she reaches her destination. She can not be allowed to report to Minna Wilcke."

He made his decision without an instant hesitation. "Nobody there will know she is en route. No one is expecting her." His gaze became sinister as he looked at the Major over steepled fingers. "Take a few select men and personally see to it that she is shot down over the ocean. Make certain there is no body left to be discovered."

Not for the first time, Major Sinquett was appalled at his own complicity in all of these proceedings. He had thought jumping on-board with General Maloney would be his fast track up the ladder of promotion. But the longer he spent time with the man... the dirtier and dirtier this whole scenario was becoming. Now he was being ordered to kill a fellow officer. For no reason other than the fact that she would interfere with the Generals' plans.

He wasn't brave enough to defy the General but his conscious wouldn't allow him to murder an innocent person either. He made a fateful decision – one he would likely pay for later, but he still needed to be able to face himself in the mirror every morning. All he could do at this point was to make sure they couldn't find her.

* * *

- _September 26th, 1943 ~ __Flyvestation Skalstrup -__Copenhagen __Danmark _-

It had been an entertaining day for Kurtz Kripke. It wasn't often there were any special events to break up the wartime monotony on the base. "_Those pilots put on quite a show. And those M.A.G.U.S. things... how cool were they?_" Corporal Kripke thought as he headed to the M.P. barracks. The corporal was surprised to find a change in the duty roster for that evening. He wasn't about to complain. It meant that he would be able to spend some unexpected extra time with his wife and daughter.

He signed off on the log happily and headed home.

At about 0200 hours, a shadowed figure approached the security gate to Hanger E. The figure made a hand signal to the replacement guard and the gate slid silently aside. Entering the hanger, the figure was quick to spot the Striker and M.A.G.U.S. units, prepped and ready for their flight to Riga in the morning.

Making his way through the darkened bay, he confidently strode up to the first M.A.G.U.S. unit and cracked the seal. Climbing into the flight harness, he situated his body so that he could reach the base of the control matrix.

The Core Fragment within was hanging suspended within it's containment cage, pulsing softly with a blush red light. Working swiftly and quietly, he removed a blue-capped widget that looked like a standard bladed fuse. Slipping it into his right pocket, he replaced it with another, identical one, from his left pocket. He then climbed out carefully, making sure everything laid exactly as he found it.

He moved on and repeated the process with the remaining two suits. As quickly and quietly as he came, he was gone. The night continued on in silence.

* * *

**- **_September 27th, 1943 ~ __Eastern Baltic Sea – Orussian Airspace _**-**

Something was different, Charlotte thought. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't quite right. She tried to brush it aside but this feeling of unease kept nagging at her. Finally she keyed her com channel open to the whole squad.

"Hey, Lieutenant. Everything all right over there?"

"Affirmative Captain." Hughes answered, slightly puzzled by her tone.

"Vince?" she continued.

"Yes ma'am. Everything's green across the board." The youngster answered in what he hoped was a professional sounding voice.

"Bill?" Charlotte questioned her fellow Liberion.

"I'm five by five Cap." Bill returned. He paused briefly. "What's up? You getting a feeling?"

"I don't know." Charlotte answered truthfully. "How about you girls? Everything copacetic?"

"Yup!" Chirped Francesca.

"Yes Shirley." Lynette answered.

"I'm not quite sure what that means," Yoshika added. "but everything is ok here."

"Hmm... yeah. All right. Just checking." The redhead tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding in the back of her mind.

"Look everyone. Maybe it's because of all the crap we've discovered, maybe it's because we're nearing the Orussian front, maybe it's something else entirely. But I'm definitely feeling edgy." Charlotte was all business now. "I want everyone on point. Eyes open, watch each others backs, understood?"

A chorus of yes's and yes, ma'am's followed on top of Yoshika's hearty shout of 'Ryoukai'. The squadron flew on. By some unspoken agreement there was no com chatter. the droning of their engines was the only sound accompanying them. After about 30 minutes of this Bill spoke up.

"The silence is deafening." he joked.

Charlotte's head jerked up involuntarily, her eyes opening wide with realization.

Silence. That was it. Silence. She had grown used to the 'open carrier' sub-harmonic the M.A.G.U.S.' threw off. It had become part of the background noise and - for the first time flying with them - she didn't hear/sense it.

"Mr. Mallory I want you to do something for me. Remember that control block I showed you beneath the containment cage?"

"Yes ma'am." The young man answered confidently.

"In that bank of chips there are two blue ones. Pull the far left one and reinsert it." She waited.

"Done." Vince reported back quickly.

"Nothing." Charlotte muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

She ran a dozen theories through her mind in the space of a few seconds. None of them had a favorable outcome. They were still about 140 air miles from the mainland, but they had been pacing a peninsular outcropping for the past 20 minutes that was significantly closer. It was well off their filed flight plan but...

"Attention everyone." Charlotte suddenly ordered. "You are all to adjust course 27 degrees port. We are making an emergency landing."

"Cap?" Bill inquired.

"You three are to ground your units and evacuate the instant you're over solid ground. Got it?"

"Aye Captain." Hughes answered immediately and unquestioningly. "Alright gentlemen, form up on me and let's juice it."

"All three M.A.G.U.S. sub-harmonic fields are off-line. I don't know what that means but since it's new it can't be good. There is no way its a random malfunction or coincidence." she concluded. "I need to look your suits over and until I do I want you out of them. ASAP."

Not long before reaching land, an alarmed Vince Mallory called out to Charlotte over the com system. "Captain Yeager I'm getting some red-zone activity on my starboard engine. The fuel mixture is leaning-out. What should I do ma'am?"

"Keep her steady Mr. Mallory. Just keep heading for land. If you have to ditch in the water we'll be there for you immediately."

Charlotte thought "_Oh great. What else could go wrong?_" As she began to mentally kick herself for inviting disaster, her ears were suddenly assailed by a familiar and dreaded sound. A Neuroi. A very large Neuroi judging by the volume of the resonance she was hearing. "_Crap! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!_"

"Shirley!" Francisca yelped in alarm.

"Yeah I know, I know." Charlotte responded. There was no running from it... not at this close a range. The only option was to go on the offensive.

"Ok, people. Its go time. This is the real deal. As we discussed... M.A.G.U.S. pilots you are on support, back up your team-mate. Miyafuji, Fiske, you're with me. Lucchini you are covering Mr. Mallory, Sargent Bishop you are with Lieutenant Hughes."

The Neuroi craft was now visible on the horizon and approaching fast. "Look sharp everyone. We are about to engage." Suddenly there was a strange 'womph' noise over the intercom. "Ah, shit!" Vince cried out as his starboard engine suddenly seized. "My starboard engine is out Captain."

"Ditch your unit Mallory. Wait for us to clean up the little problem in front of us and we will be back to pick you up." Charlotte ordered.

"Sorry Lucchini." Vince told her sadly.

"Not your fault Vince. Don't stress. We'll wrap this up in no time... then you'll owe me two." the fanged one chuckled.

Yoshika took lead, throwing up a huge shield to take the brunt of the Neuroi's attack as the others all engaged the enemy with all the firepower they could muster. Bill Fiske and Lieutenant Hughes raked the enemy craft with strafing fire, attempting to expose the core enough for one of the Witches to take it out.

They were working cohesively as a unit and they were steadily taking a toll on the Neuroi defenses. It was regenerating at a slower and slower rate. It was only a matter of a short time before they would have the thing beaten down completely.

Bill suddenly felt his M.A.G.U.S. shudder slightly as the stick became sluggish and poorly responsive. This had happened before. A sharp smack to the control matrix had put it right in the past. He was about to strike the pesky piece of equipment when he suddenly heard, or maybe felt, an unfamiliar noise. A high-pitched keening that made his teeth ache.

"What's that noise?" Bill said over the open com channel.

Since she was coordinating all the action, Charlotte's attention was split and it took an extra second for his words to process. She shifted her attention to the M.A.G.U.S. pilot. "What are you hearing Corporal Fiske?"

"I dunno really. Kind of...*_crackle_*...and a weird...*_crackle_*...gh-pitched...*_crackle_*...kind of like a...*_crackle_*...in the back...*_crackle_*...and don't...*_crackle_*...sponding prope...*_crackle_*..."

"Corporal Fiske I'm not reading you. Something is interfering with communications."

Suddenly she heard a new sound. There were now two additional Neuroi resonance patterns. One was directly in front of her - Fiske's M.A.G.U.S. - the other was in the current location of the Lieutenants unit. She watched as both M.A.G.U.S. suite floundered about as if suddenly difficult to control. Charlotte's adrenaline spiked. What the hell? Why _**now**_?

"Corporal Fiske respond! What's happening?" Through her headset came more static and beneath that, a strangled gargling sound and then silence. "Fiske! Come in! I'm not receiving you." A heavy foreboding filled Charlotte. "Bill! Talk to me. What's happening?"

Fiske's M.A.G.U.S. stopped shuddering in place and began to fly towards the Neuroi attack craft once more. Charlotte gunned her engines and quickly caught up to Fiske's machine and flew along side him. In the back of her mind, she wondered why the Neuroi craft had stopped firing at them.

She flipped on her back and flew underneath the M.A.G.U.S. unit. Since radio communications were compromised she needed to make visual contact with the pilot.

Through the faceplate she could see a form that only vaguely resembled a person. A man-shaped amalgam of grey matter lacking any features, save for a mouth opened in a permanent, soundless scream. Charlotte watched helplessly as the M.A.G.U.S. pulsed with light and the man-formed shape disappeared … seemingly absorbed into the suits' structure as it's form grew larger with accumulated mass.

She immediately realized where that extra mass had come from and had to repress the urge to throw up.

U.S. Army Air Force Pilot Corporal William Fiske … was gone.

She swung her head around to find Lieutenant Hughes' armor just in time to see **it** shudder and flare, pulse and expand… and she knew that Lieutenant Hughes was gone as well.

Charlotte Yeager normally had a good handle on her emotions, but this... this was just too much.

"You _**ate**_ them!" she screamed to the empty sky in rage. "You! God! Dammed! Sons-of-bitches! You **fucking**___**ate**_ them!"

The _thing_ that was once Bill Fiske's M.A.G.U.S. continued to accelerate towards the Neuroi 'mother ship' but it could not hope to match Charlotte's speed. She took off after it like a bat out of hell.

Bill Fiske was a good man and had become a good friend. Charlotte would mourn his loss…later. Right now she had something that needed to be taken care of. She keyed her mic.

"Miyafuji, Bishop, Lucchini. Listen to me. You need to trust me and do as I say." She gave them all a second to focus. "Bill and the Lieutenant are dead. Their M.A.G.U.S. units have gone rogue. We need to take them out. N**ow**!"

She was gratified to hear no questions or hesitation. Only a chorus of "Yes ma'am!"

"Miyafuji, Bishop, you take the one at 10 o'clock. Lucchini, you're with me."

Lynette and Yoshika peeled off to their assigned target. Francisca opened throttle and headed for Charlotte's location. With heavy hearts, knowing that their friends had perished at the hands of the Neuroi, all four Witches converged upon and eliminated the former M.A.G.U.S. units with extreme prejudice. They then turned their attention to the Neuroi mothership still advancing behind them.

(**)

Suddenly Charlotte's com flared to life and she heard Vince's voice, full of enthusiasm, giving her a sit-rep. She spun around and watched in horror as the young southerner rose from the waves and raced to catch up with them.

"I got her working Captain. I'll be right...*_crackle_*...where did...*_crackle_*...ll and the Lieutenant go? I thought they...*_crackle_*...*_crackle_*...*_crackle_*..."

"Mallory. Back off! D'ya hear me? Stand down! **Now**!" she yelled in vain. "Mallory!" The boy couldn't hear her through the interference the Neuroi was apparently throwing off. Charlotte acted instantaneously. Flipping her vector, she charged straight at Vince's machine and to Vince's confusion slammed directly into it.

Charlotte was no Gertrude Barkhorn but she still possessed the enhanced strength common to all Witches. She grabbed the fuselage of Vince's unit with her bare hands hard enough to crumple the Grey Matter armor.

She succeeded in damaging the exhaust ports. The engines choked out and she began spin them both around as fast as she possibly could, just like she did when she performed the 'Fastball Special' with Francisca. She literally threw the young man at the ground below, hoping that distance would lessen the influence of the Neuroi on the core fragment.

"Miyafuji, you and Bishop get down there and see to his injuries." Charlotte ordered. "That isn't going to be the gentlest of landings." Unfortunately the Neuroi wasn't going to give her time to make sure everyone was ok.

The Liberion ace sensed more than saw the Neuroi particle beam as it lanced out towards her.

She threw herself forward and, as a result, the beam only glanced her back. She could smell burnt leather and singed hair. A second blast nailed her left engine squarely and she plummeted as she tried to regain control. _"I __**just**__ fixed that, dammit."_

"**Shirley!**" Francisca hollered over her mike.

She watched helplessly as Charlotte continued her uncontrolled descent. Vegetation geysered into the air as the Liberion ace hit the tree line. "**Shirley! Shirley! Shirleyyyy!**"

There was no answer to her cries. Only a flare of light and a plume of thick gray smoke curling up into the sky. "**Shirrrrrrleyyyyyy!**"

Francisca was too shaken up to think straight. This couldn't happen. Not to Shirley.

Shirley was the one she looked up to. Shirley was the one who was patient with her. Shirley was the one who understood her. Shirley was the one who cared about her, the one who showed her that she could turn all of her minuses into pluses. Shirley… Shirley was the person she **loved**!

The little Romagnian spun around and glared in hatred at the bloated tic-like shape of the Neuroi craft. Her whole body trembled with the accumulated rage, fear and frustration she was feeling. A blood-red haze clouded her vision and her Strikers screamed in protest as she accelerated full-throttle towards the alien attacker.

_Charlotte was able to control the profile of her shield to a certain extent. She could bend the leading edges of her shield back to streamline her flight profile, gaining extra speed by reducing the air pressure in front of her and baffling it to increase the air pressure behind her. She had decided to try and teach Francisca how to do the same._

_She had been surprised and pleased to find that, not only could the little Romagnian mimic her ability but was able to take it leagues further. Francisca's control was much more granular. She could form her shield into any shape she could imagine, as well as vary its thickness and density._

As she charged the Neuroi mother ship she manifested her shield and willed it into the shape of a gigantic wedge, only millimeters thick at the leading edge but as hard as diamond.

Pushing it ahead of her she slammed it into the Neuroi craft, sinking the edge deep in to the skin of the ship. The shield then shimmered as she reformed it into two intersecting planes connected by a fulcrum. With every single bit of her will, fueled by her out-of-control emotions, she applied pressure. The Neuroi craft split open like an overripe melon.

It began to regenerate almost immediately. But the core was nakedly exposed. With an inarticulate scream, Francisca unloaded a full clip at the Neuroi core, shattering it where it floated. She replaced the exhausted clip with a fresh one and let go with another salvo. The remaining shards were also reduced to their basic components… a glittering trail of pixie dust. The grey matter making up the ship itself also began to dissolve, now lacking the guiding intelligence that allowed it to cohere in the first place.

Just that quickly, it was gone. Francisca hovered there, still pulling the trigger even though she had expended all of her ammo. The barrel of the rifle was so hot there were flames on the tip. The little ace lost her breath as her body convulsed with sobs, crying so hard she couldn't hear the pained voice that came over her headset.

"Lucchini, I'm all right. Lucchini?"

All Francisca could hear was her own ragged breathing and cries of despair.

"**Francisca! Focus!" **

Her sobs caught in her throat. "Sh-shirley?" she questioned in disbelief. "You're ok? You're really ok?"

Charlotte grunted in pain. "Yeah, well, you know… my right arm's broken. And I *yii* probably have a couple of broken ribs too. Nothing too bad." She gave an annoyed sigh. "My port engines' hash. That kinda pisses me off."

Francisca laughed, relieved to hear the older girls flippant attitude again. But the laughter soon dissolved into choking sobs once more.

"I… I… I thought… thought…you died Shirley. I thought you _**died**_! I… I… I…" she gasped for breath. Francisca had believed Shirley was gone forever and she had felt so afraid. She had felt so _alone_.

"You **can't** die! You can't _**leave**_ me Shirley. Not **ever**! **You ****can't**_**!**_** You **_**can't!**__**You can't!**_"

Charlotte was overcome by the raw emotions spilling out of the tiny trouble-maker. "I-I'm… Francisca I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you like that. Honestly."

Over their radio link, Charlotte heard Francisca's breathing start to normalize. Another pained yelp escaped her. "We can't gotta mean it 'cause the larks are still there."

Francisca blinked in confusion. "…What?"

"Uhhm. I-I gotta… sit down for a minute." Charlotte answered shakily.

"Shirley, what's the matter?" Her panic grew when she didn't receive a response. "**Shirley what's wrong?**" Nothing but silence answered. She gunned her Striker's and headed back towards the atoll.

"_Please God._ _Oh please please please please please. Please let her be ok."_

* * *

… _to be continued ..._


	11. Those Who Matter Most

******A/N -** "Okairi mina." _*Welcome back everyone.*_

I want to drop a quick thanks to new readers MysticMew, ShadowFreddyRaven and The Empty Set.

HUGE shout to my go-to for English/Romanji translation EtherealFox. Without him, the most powerful scene in this chapter could not have been written the way I wanted it. Thanks for the above and beyond. I will scour the earth to get that copy of Dengeki Bunko for you.

And, as always, thanks to Beta Master of Flygon... just for being there. You have really pulled me through this. and without you I would have given up last year. So... THANKS!

Please enjoy this chapter.  
Strike Witches is ©2013 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Eleven – Those Who Matter Most

- _September 27th , 1943 ~ Unidentified atoll in Orussian Territory _-

Yoshika and Lynette were en route to the location where Vince Mallory had been unceremoniously tossed. Since they were all on the common frequency, they heard the entire exchange between Charlotte and Francisca. They felt overwhelming relief when they heard that Charlotte had survived the crash. And Yoshika couldn't help but smile when she heard Francisca break down and reveal her feelings to her partner.

"_Good for you Lucchini-chan. It's about time you were honest with your feelings. Although I guess I shouldn't be one to say that, considering._" she thought, sparing a quick glance at her girlfriend.

However, what Yoshika heard next filled her with dread. Charlotte's nonsensical reply to - and then failure to respond to - Francisca told her all she needed to know.

"Lynne, we need to get to Shirley right away." Yoshika stated firmly.

"Eh?" Lynette responded. "But what about Vincent?"

"Mallory-kun will just have to wait." the aspiring physician replied. "Did you hear Shirley-san's reply just then? Most likely she has a severe concussion. If I don't treat her immediately she will probably die."

Lynette hesitated for the briefest of moments then simply said. "Ok."

"It'll be fine. Mallory-kun probably hit hard, but he's protected by his flight harness and he's surrounded by armor-plating." Yoshika reasoned, half trying to convince _herself_ that this was the right decision as well. "Battlefield triage consists of treating the life-threatening injuries over severe physical injuries. Please trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"I do trust you Yoshika." Lynne told her with conviction. "I'm behind you all the way." The two then banked away from the shoreline and inward toward the hilly, forested center of the atoll.

(**)

Francisca didn't concern herself with the niceties of landing. She disengaged her Strikers a full twenty feet before touchdown. She hit the ground running, frantic to seek out Charlotte. The discarded Striker units crashed loudly behind her, unnoticed.

Following the trail of destroyed vegetation, she soon came upon a clearing and saw Charlotte lying unconscious on the ground. Yoshika was kneeling over the downed ace, a bright bluish-white dome of energy surrounding them both. Francisca was literally tripping over herself in her haste to be at Charlotte's side.

The tears she had been holding back only partially began again at full force. "Oh my god! **Shirley**."

Lynne intercepted Francisca before the young girl could throw herself into the middle of things and held the tiny Romagnian tightly as she struggled to get free. "**NO! NOOO!** _**Let me go let me go let me go!**_"

However, Lynne continued holding Francisca in place and soon the tiny Ensign's struggles grew weaker. She was both emotionally and physically drained from everything that had taken place over the past 20 minutes. Her legs were shaking as she slowly slid to the ground in exhaustion.

"Please Lynne." she whined. "I need to be with her..."

"It's going to be alright Francisca. I promise you." the older girl assured her. "Yoshika told me we reached her in time. We need to let her work. Just have a little faith, ok?"

It wasn't very long at all until the glow from Yoshika's magic began to recede, drawn back into its tiny brown-haired source. Francisca perked up when she heard her partners voice.

"Whoa. Did someone get the number of that truck?" Charlotte asked.

Yoshika was concerned for an instant. Did she not heal Charlotte properly? The Liberion ace noticed the look of confusion on Yoshika's face. "You know. The one that ran over me." she grinned.

"Shirley-san!" Yoshika scolded her. "Don't joke about it. You were seriously hurt. How do you feel?"

"Slight headache. And, of course, my arm and ribs. But overall? Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good."

Yoshika breathed a sigh of relief. "Yokatta."

She looked back at Lynne and Francisca, motioning them to come over. The two girls stood up and moved closer. Francisca appeared almost timid as she shuffled over to Charlotte's side. Her eyes were downcast and she could barely bring herself to meet the older girls gaze. Her bottom lip began to quiver. Charlotte's expression melted into a sad, soft smile. She spread her arms open toward Francisca, inviting her in. "C'mere, kiddo."

Once more the dam burst as Francisca threw herself into Charlotte's arms, soaking the girls shirt with her tears. Charlotte simply held her gently and petted her head. "It's ok Francisca. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Yoshika smiled in satisfaction as she watched the tender scene unfolding in front of her and stepped back. Turning to Lynette, she motioned towards the two. "Lynne help Lucchini-chan get Shirley-san down to the beachhead, ok? I'm going on ahead to take care of Mallory-kun."

"Yoshika wait..." Lynne called out but it was too late. The tiny brunette had already disappeared into the bushy undergrowth. She started to follow but then stopped to look back at her squad-mates and felt as though she were frozen in place. Her head involuntarily swung back to the spot where Yoshika vanished and back again to Charlotte and Francisca – torn between what she _wanted_ to do and what she felt she _should_ do. She was a bit irritated for a second...not with Yoshika really, but with herself for her inability to be decisive.

"Go with her Lynne." Charlotte said.

"But..." Lynette hesitated.

"We can make it on our own. You'd be more useful to Yoshika than to us." Charlotte assured her. Lynette's uncertain expression didn't disappear. "You want to be the one who supports her right?"

"But..." Lynne repeated.

"Go!" Charlotte interrupted. "That's an order."

Lynette smiled in gratitude. "Thank you Shirley."

With that, she dashed into the underbrush following Yoshika's trail. After she was out of sight Charlotte slumped back to a laying position. "We'll just stay here for a bit until I feel up to walking, ok kiddo?" Francisca raised her tear-stained face and scrutinized Charlotte's apparent condition, then quietly nodded her head in agreement tucking back into Charlotte's shoulder.

* * *

Luckily Yoshika had a good head for bearings. She came crashing out of the brush into a clearing about fifty yards from her objective. Mallory's M.A.G.U.S. was lying near the center of the open area. Since the seal was unopened and Vince himself was nowhere to be seen, it stood to reason that he was still inside. Looking through the visor she saw him unconscious, still strapped into the flight harness. She pounded on the outer casing of the suit trying to get a response from the young pilot.

She knew how to work the seal to open the armor, having seen all three pilots do it numerous times. However, for some reason it didn't want to cooperate with her. No amount of force or cajoling would coax it to yield.

She invoked her magic and expanded her awareness until she was able to sense Vince. But unlike the usual clarity she experienced when she focused on a patient, Vince's presence was muddied and blurred. He was alive, but that was about all she could ascertain. She snorted in frustration.

Yoshika reasoned that the grey matter must be causing the interference in her magical senses. She couldn't open the suit and Vince couldn't open it for her, leaving her with no real options. Maybe she could force her way through.

Shutting everything else out, the tiny healer leaned forward and placed her palms into direct contact with the armor and pushed with all of her willpower. There was some small resistance and then contact.

Vince was unconscious but, unlike Charlotte, the rough landing hadn't caused any severe head trauma. A few broken bones - probably from the force of impact when he hit the ground. The slight amount of internal bleeding she found would be from the same cause.

It was hard pushing through the interference. Yoshika had to devote all of her concentration to focus her magic where it was needed, pouring more and more of herself into the process. She first stopped the internal hemorrhaging and then went to work knitting the broken bones. She had already exerted herself quite a bit in healing Charlotte, so this extra effort was affecting her more than it usually would.

Time seemed to distort in Yoshika's mind. It felt as if she had been at it for hours. As fatigue began to catch up to her, her focus began to drift and the image of Mallory in her mind was superimposed by something else. As she focused on this new image it suddenly sharpened into clarity.

A glittering many-faceted red crystal filled her vision, spinning slowly around and around. It was so beautiful. An almost narcotic sensation of peace and pleasure flooded her body. It was singing to her, not in words but in tones. Music of the Spheres... a melody so peaceful, so soothing, that she could do nothing but allow it to fill her thoughts.

Devoting all of herself to gazing at the slowly spinning crystal that existed only in her mind. Every sparkling light shot waves of pleasure directly through her spine and in rippling waves throughout her body. Sharp pinpricks of pain drilled through her fingers and palms but the pain never registered - wiped out by the ever-increasing stimulation of her brain's pleasure centers. The pain felt so _**good**_. She wanted more.

Yoshika knew that if she just listened to _**~ it ~**_ the music - if she just gave herself to _**~ it ~**_ the glittering lights - she could feel _**~ it ~**_ this beautiful pain for eternity. The sharp stings and aching pain began to move up her arms and shoulders. Panic jarred her for the briefest of instants but was crushed completely as _**~ it ~**_ the jeweled image grew larger and _**~ it ~**_ the beautiful music grew louder in her mind.

_**~ it ~ **_spoke to her through the music and she understood _**~ it ~**_ she knew _**~ it ~**_ wanted her to become a part of _**~ it ~**_ willingly she opened her mind so she could hear _**~ it ~**_ more clearly _**~ surrender ~**_

Yoshika obeyed and her obedience was rewarded as pure bliss and unimaginable sybaritic pleasure flooded her body and drove away her conscious thoughts. The abyss opened and she fell into the darkness.

Falling felt like flying...

* * *

Charlotte had become restless quickly and as soon as she was sure she could walk more than twenty steps without pitching forward on her face she was up and mobile. She and Francisca were slowly making their way to the clearing where she had thrown Mallory earlier. Her mood was grim. Everything had been going so well. Even with the incredibly difficult set of circumstances with which they had been dealt they had been optimistic that, together, they could overcome everything. And in less time than it takes to boil a kettle of water it had all come crashing down.

Even though it was unforeseen, even though it wasn't her fault, Charlotte was cursing herself. She had promised the guys that she would protect them - that she would save them.

She had failed.

That failure ate at her soul. The Lieutenant was a good man. And Bill... in the scant month they had spent together they had become quite close. She had never harbored romantic feelings towards him. She didn't imagine that she ever would have. They were too much alike for one thing. But she suspected that, had he lived, they most likely would have become the best of friends.

She hoped she had at least saved Vince. But, if he were still alive, she knew she would have to face him. She would have to tell him that her failure to properly lead had caused the death of the man he looked up to as an older brother. And the man who had taken him in when he had nowhere else to go.

Her brows knit in anger. Maloney! Even though he was only a piece of a larger puzzle, he was the most tangible target for her hate. She was overcome with an urge to get her hands around his throat and give him the ending that a misogynistic piece of garbage like himself deserved. She knew those thoughts could lead her to a place of darkness from which she may never return. But, at the moment, she honestly didn't give a damn.

Francisca immediately picked up on her partner's black mood. "What'cha thinkin' about Shirley?"

The redhead wasn't about to tell the younger girl that she was seriously harboring thoughts of murder, no matter how justified she felt she was. Instead, she gave her junior a somewhat edited version of where her thoughts were leading her.

"I'm thinking about what our next move should be. It's going to be difficult for all of us to continue on. I only have one engine and obviously, even if Mallory's suit is still operational, I won't allow him to use it. Although I doubt that will be a problem with him once he learns about Bill and the Lieutenant."

She paused for a moment, favoring Francisca with an apprising glance. The Ensign was puzzled by the way Charlotte was looking at her.

"Vince is gonna be devastated when he finds out they're dead." Charlotte advised. "He's going to need a friend and he will probably turn to you for emotional support. You two seem to have become close, am I right?"

Yeah," Francisca replied. "we have. He's a really good person."

The little Romagnian thought back to their final night at Mildenhall. Yoshika and Lynne were off in their own little world. Charlotte, Corporal Fiske and the Lieutenant were out doing grown-up stuff (in other words, hanging out at a local pub). So it was just the two of them spending time together talking about their lives and experiences.

Their upbringing had been so different. Francisca came from a very large and loving family and grew up in a metropolitan city - one of the world's major capitals - whereas Vincent was an only child who had been raised in a sparsely populated and poverty-ridden area. He explained to her why he had been disowned by his father and enlisted early.

Francisca had been incensed at the way he had been treated and was surprised when she found out that, while it had saddened him greatly, Vince didn't hold a grudge or feel anger toward his father.

_"Just 'cause sumthin' becomes legal don't mean everbody's gonna accept it. Ah think alotta that comes from a lack a' education. Where ah grew up, most folks don' even finish high school. Soon as yer old enough ta work that's what ya do. Ain't their fault. That's jus' how it is._

_Ah mean, look at me. I know I don't speak proper. It's real embarrasin' ta me sometimes. Ah'm tryin' ta do better... don't think ah'll ever talk as slick as Bill does though. He's from New Britannia. Connecticut. Went there on our furlough, right before this mission. Heh. Compared to where ah'm from it's like another planet. But he's th' best, ya know? Ah never had a real big brother, but if ah did he could never be better than Bill is ta me. Ah really do wanna become someone he can be proud of, ya know?"_

Yes, Francisca knew, Vince **was** going to be devastated by deaths of his friends. More than friends she realized. They had become family to him. She didn't know what she could do for him but she knew she would do all that she could.

* * *

Lynette finally caught up to her impulsive lover. Although she had gotten a bit turned around, the obvious signs of Yoshika's powers in use were easy to spot, especially now that the sun was beginning to fall lower in the sky. She came upon the clearing to find Yoshika kneeling over Vince's fallen machine fully engaged in a healing trance. She allowed herself to catch her breath before walking closer.

As she approached the two it felt as if something were off. Yoshika's stance was ridged. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps and she was trembling fiercely. Lynette was concerned since she had seen Yoshika perform her healing arts on many occasions and even the worst injury she had treated had never brought her to this level of exertion before.

Unsure of whether or not she should intervene, she was jarred from her uncertainty by the sight that greeted her when she moved to stand next to the younger girl. Yoshika's hands and forearms were covered by grey matter. It looked as if her hands had become fused with the suit itself and the alien matter was slowly moving upward to as if trying to consume her whole body.

"**Yoshika. Yoshika!**" Lynne cried out. "_**Your hands!**_"

(**)

Lynne's voice cut through the fog clouding Yoshika's perceptions and loosened the grip the alien intelligence had gained on her mind. Like a drowning person reaching for a life preserver the Fuso maiden struggled to place the voice.

"_L-Lynette?_"

The struggle for awareness was like swimming through quicksand. She felt exhausted and the Neuroi influence threatened to pull her in again but she focused on one thing - only one thing - Lynette's voice. Lynne was there and Yoshika needed to return to her... needed her... more than she needed peace or pleasure or bliss or pain.

Lynette was her life, the person she had pledged herself to forever. She didn't understand what was happening to her, she didn't know where she was, but she knew she needed to get back to Lynne somehow. She blinked groggily as awareness slowly returned to her. The first sight that greeted her didn't make sense. She blinked again trying to clear her hazy mind.

_Something was wrong. Why were her hands... ... ...? _

Becoming fully aware she let out an ear-shattering scream.

At that same instant her body emitted an intense flare of pure white light and Lynette, caught unprepared for the reaction, was temporarily blinded by the flash. Falling to the ground in reflex, she rubbed at her eyes, trying to restore her lost vision. Slowly the milky-white haze began to fade and the she began seeing spots...retinal after-images that slowly began to fade as well.

The first thing Lynette saw were the remains of the M.A.G.U.S. Mallory was still strapped into the flight harness which was now exposed, hanging from the articulated frame skeleton that was the structural support for the suit. The grey matter had evaporated and the pixie-dust trail from the core fragment had almost faded away into nothingness. But where was Yoshika?

The Britannian pilot frantically scanned her surroundings but could not find a trace of her most important person. Then she heard it... broken sobbing and whimpering from only a few yards away. Diving into the underbrush she saw Yoshika's seifuku lying on the ground, torn to shreds.

Soon she found the tiny brunette - her body curled up upon herself wedged into the deep bole of a tree - frantically clawing at her arms and torso, digging her fingernails deep into bare flesh causing gouts of blood to run in rivers. Lynne was horrified by the sight.

"gekitai... gekitai... gekitaishiro... iyada yamete yametekudasai yamete" she mumbled over and over, her eyes wide open but unseeing. "tasuketekudasai... yamero... yamero..."

The panic and terror etched on the face of the younger girl hit Lynette like a physical blow.

Falling to her knees Lynette gathered the panic-stricken girl in her arms and took firm hold of hands, trying to prevent the terrified girl from injuring herself further. Yoshika struggled against her grasp in mindless fright, drenching them both in her blood. Lynne was unsure as to what exactly had happened but she had never imagined that she would ever see her precious love so distraught. So afraid.

Trembling as if caught in an arctic wind she collapsed into Lynne's arms. The honey-brown haired beauty began to gently rock Yoshika, trying in vain to calm her down.

"iyada... iyada... **yamero! yamero! yamero!**"

"Yoshika. I can't understand what you're saying. You need to speak Britannish."

Yoshika's small body was wracked with violent sobs as she gasped for breath.

"mada...mada...kanjirareteru... uyo-uyo...karada no naka...kokoro no naka... soushite...watashi... kore** ga hoshiikatta**... jitai no naka... yame... yame.. yamerarenakatta... yamesasenakatta... yametanakatta... watashi... watashi **datte**... ah rin... tasukete... tasukete... onegai... tasuketekudasai..."

[_ i can...i can...still feel it... crawling... inside my body... inside my mind...and... i...i...i...__**wanted**__ it... inside me...i couldn't... i couldn't... stop... it wouldn't let me... i didn't want to... to.. to.. i __**didn't**__... oh lynne... help... help me... . please..._]

Lynette understood a very few words of Fusogo. But she recognized 'Rin'. That was how Yoshika had pronounced her name for the first few weeks after her arrival to Britannia. The clever girl had quickly adapted, even though the hard 'L' sound was foreign to her native language.

It had made Lynne quiver when Yoshika called her '_Rin-chan_' in her cute high-pitched voice. But now it alarmed her. It seemed to her as if Yoshika were mentally regressing.

"Yoshika, can you hear me? Can you understand me?"

"rin?"

Yoshika's voice was so weak. Barely a whisper. Lynette had to strain to hear her at all.

"**Yes!** Yes, I'm here. I'm right here baby." Lynne reassured her.

"... rin?... where are you... please find me... please don't leave me alone... please don't... please... gomenasai... gomenasai... i'm... a weak... person... worthless... dirty... gomenasai gomenasai gomenasai..."

"**No**! Yoshika, _**no**_! What are you saying? What _**happened**_ to you?"

The Fuso maiden's lips were mouthing words but no sound came out. Lynne suddenly felt the small girl go completely limp in her arms. Thinking that Yoshika had passed out, she laid her down on the ground but then saw that her sweetheart's eyes were still open, looking directly at her. It was obvious that nothing was registering. Yoshika was looking right through her.

Remembering a film she saw in Basic Training about battlefield trauma, Lynette recognized the warning signs of hysterical blindness. Yoshika was now in a semi-catatonic state. The older girl understood that whatever had happened, whatever that _**thing**_ had done, it had been so completely overwhelming for Yoshika that her mind had simply shut down.

She didn't know what to do. She wished Shirley were here. She would know what to do. "_No_." she thought resolutely. "_Shirley isn't here. She's hurt too. I have to do this. I can do this._" Determination gripped her. "_I __**will**__ do this._"

She needed to stop the bleeding first. That was the most important thing. Getting up off the ground where she had been kneeling, Lynette first went and retrieved Yoshika's tattered uniform top, then removed her own. For the second time on this journey she used scraps of cloth as bandages and tried her best to care for her injured love.

She wanted to cry seeing the damage the little Fuso girl had inflicted upon herself. It was **much** much worse than she had initially thought. Yoshika's delicate skin had been torn to ribbons. In some places, especially on her arms, she had clawed through muscle tissue, as if trying to dig something out of her body. These were not scratches. They were deep, serious wounds. Lynne tried to keep a tight rein on her emotions as she worked, but seeing Yoshika in this condition...

_"Oh, Yoshika. What did it do to you? Why are you like this?" _

Yoshika was the strongest person she had ever met. No matter how dark things got, no matter the odds they faced, she had never given up - never stopped trying. Now that bright soul had been dimmed almost to nonexistence, guttering like a candle in the wind. Lynette felt despair begin to take hold in her heart.

"lynne? is it really you? are you really here? where are you? i can't see you. nothing feels real."

"You're going to be ok. Everything will be ok. You killed it Yoshika. You killed it. It's gone."

"don't touch me... please... i'm dirty... i'm tainted... i didn't want to but maybe i did and what does that say about me... that i'm weak... that i'm a bad person...part of me... was screaming the whole time... but... part of me... w-w-wanted... "

Lynette reeled as memories forcibly repressed came screaming out of her sub-conscious. _' i'm dirty... i'm tainted...'_ She had just turned 11 the first time it happened. Her mother had been dead for over a year and her father had been making her feel uncomfortable.

One night, long after the servants retired for the evening, the door to her bedroom opened...

She remembered standing in the shower for hours afterwards. The water had long since run cold and she stood shivering under the frigid torrent. No matter how much she scrubbed she couldn't get clean. She remembered something else too.

As much as she had hated her father for doing that to her, she had despised _**herself**_ for the way her body betrayed her at the end...

Lynette understood now _exactly_ what the Neuroi had done to her Yoshika. It may not have been of the exact same physical sexual nature, but Yoshika had been brutally raped by the vile creature - her body and her mind both forcibly violated. And in all reality, what she had pieced together from Yoshika's fevered ravings, this had been much worse.

Lynette fought to stay strong, but now that the memories had been released she couldn't escape them. There was her father, reminding her of how weak she was... how pathetic...

* * *

"We'll be ok though, right Shirley? I mean, when we don't show up at Riga they'll send out a search and rescue team won't they?" Francisca stated, trying to lift Charlotte's spirits a bit.

Charlotte's frown seemed to grow even deeper if that were possible. "We can't be sure of that. We no longer know who our allies are. This cabal seems to have infiltrated everywhere. Liberion. Afrika. Karlsland. I'm certain the M.A.G.U.S. suits were sabotaged in Copenhagen. If anyone does show up, they could be just as likely to kill us as to save us."

That put a damper on Francisca's attempt at optimism. She hadn't thought of that. It was true. They couldn't tell friend from enemy.

She tried to renew her positive attitude. "But still... Ursula must have made it to Capel-le-Ferne. Commander Minna and the rest of the 501st... they'll come to our rescue. We'll be ok Shirley. I just know we will."

Charlotte was about to retort. It had only been four days since they had parted company. Even at top speed it would have taken Ursula at least 14 hours of straight flying to reach Britannia from Copenhagen. The plan had been that Minna would contact any higher-up's she _knew_ they could still trust and try to stop the M.A.G.I. program through official channels. Even if everything had gone smoothly and Minna took immediate action, she wouldn't know to come here or that they were in any danger.

She was _about_ to tell Francisca this, but when she looked down and saw her 'little sis' staring at her with anxious optimism she mentally slapped herself. What was she doing? Francisca was trying her best to boost her morale and all she was doing was putting a damper on those attempts.

Instead she smiled encouragingly. "You're right kiddo. Shouldn't give up that easily, right? Sorry for bringing you down like that."

"That's ok Shirley." Francisca replied. "I understand. A lot of stuff happened that would bring anybody down. But don't worry. I'm sure Vince is ok, and as long as we're all together everything will be..."

_**"Eeeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"**_

The two looked at each other in shock.

"Miyafuji?"

"That was Yoshika!" the tiny Ensign confirmed.

Charlotte threw her arm around Francisca's shoulder for support, and the two began hobbling as fast as they could toward the sound of that blood-curdling scream. After what felt like an eternity had passed, they finally reached the clearing where Vince's M.A.G.U.S. had crashed.

The bizarre sight made them stop short. The young man was hanging suspended in the bare skeletal framework of the destroyed battle suit. A semi-circular patch of scorched grass surrounded the clearing. Neither Yoshika or Lynne were present.

_"What in hell __**happened**__ here?"_ Charlotte wondered.

Both girls rushed over to the unconscious pilot's side. Charlotte placed two fingers against the boy's neck and felt a strong pulse. She sighed in relief. Now her immediate concern was Yoshika. They started looking around for their missing comrades.

Francisca's sharp eyes spotted broken branches and displaced vegetation on the far side of the clearing. She tapped Charlotte on the shoulder and pointed. "Shirley. Look. Over there."

Wading into the thick brush they soon found their two missing companions lying on the ground. Both were topless, Yoshika swathed in blood-soaked bandages and Lynette, body covered in dried blood, cradling the younger girl in her arms.

"Jesus _**Christ**_!" Charlotte blurted out as she rushed to the girls' sides.

Lynette slowly lifted her head at the sound of Charlotte's alarmed cry, looking up at her elder with red, swollen, empty eyes. She then lay her head back down on Yoshika's chest - her expression was haunted.

Even worse, Yoshika's eyes were open but the small girl didn't react at all. Staring at nothing with a fixed, blank gaze and dilated pupils. Taking all that into account, along with Lynette's current state, she could only draw one conclusion.

Yoshika was dead.

Captain Charlotte Yeager - speedster, adventurer, frontier-blazer, war hero... simply couldn't take any more. She fell down on all fours. There were no words to describe the mixture of sadness, anger, despair and defeat she now felt. She began pounding the ground with her fist.

**"Goddammit! Goddammit! Goddammit! Goddammit!"**

Francisca looked closer however. Yoshika was breathing shallowly. Her lips were moving slightly.

"Shirley. Yoshika's not dead. Look." she pleaded. "_**Please**_ look."

Francisca's words had the desired effect. Shirley stopped her tirade and took a closer look at the girl. It was true. She _**was**_ alive. There was still hope. Still on all fours, she crawled over to the two girls and reached out to them. Lynette's reaction was immediate as well as shocking.

_**"Don't touch her!"**_ she screamed.

Tightening her protective hold on Yoshika, Lynette moved her own body to block Charlotte from coming any closer. Charlotte was taken aback by the seething anger expressed on the girl's usually placid face.

"Ok, Lynne. I won't touch her." Charlotte said in a soothing voice. She knew that Lynne's outburst wasn't directed at her necessarily. She understood that the young Britannian pilot was overwrought. Moving slowly, in a non-threatening manner, she sat back on her haunches and tried a different tact.

"Lynne." she began in a quiet voice. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Lynette was silent for a long moment - as if unable to recall the sequence of events.

"She... *sniff* I'm... I'm not quite sure what happened. She... was trying to heal Private Mallory when I found her. *sniff* And... and... and she... the suit was trying to... absorb her or something."

She shut her eyes tightly trying to drive the sight out of her memory.

"The armor was... growing... on her body. Her hands and arms... were covered... I... called out to her and she... it was moving up to her shoulders... and neck so quickly... while I just **watched**. I didn't know how to stop it... **I** **just watched! ** **I **_**let**_** it happen!**"

"When she f-f-finally came out of her healing trance she screamed and her magic exploded from her body. I was blinded by it. When I could see again, the M.A.G.U.S. was destroyed and Yoshika was... Yoshika was..."

She began crying softly and turned away from Charlotte and Francisca, resting her head back down next to Yoshika's own. Gently she stroked her girlfriend's hair as she whispered to her.

"Oh, my sweet baby... I'm so sorry... I couldn't help you... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Charlotte sighed in resignation. She knew she wouldn't be getting any more information out of Lynette for a while. She was concerned about Yoshika's physical and mental state - not to mention Lynette's own mental state. But for now she decided to leave it alone. Both girls had obviously been through hell and as long as Yoshika was alive, they could deal with the rest later.

These two were of no use right now. It was best, she decided, to leave Yoshika in Lynne's care. Careful not to make any sudden movement, the redheaded ace stood up slowly.

"Lynne? We're going to go check on Mallory. We'll be back soon. Will you take care of Yoshika for a while? "

Lynette didn't respond or even seem to acknowledge her presence at all. Charlotte gave Francisca a helpless look and nodded her head in the direction of the clearing. Francisca silently acknowledged her and they left the two alone.

(**)

After taking a few large gulps from her canteen Charlotte sat down at the base of a large tree on the edge of the clearing, leaning back against the broad trunk. Collecting her thoughts and forming a plan of action. For long moments there was silence. Francisca waited as patiently as was possible for her, content to sit back and observe as Shirley had another one of her 'Eureka' moments.

"Ok. First off kiddo, I want you to go get your Strikers and then collect everyone else's, as well as their weaponry and bring them here. Retrieve Merlin for me first though." she ordered. "Maybe I can fix him. Gotta try."

She regarded her young partner seriously. "I want you to try to stay under cover as much as you are able to since we don't know who's coming or when. But I'm sure that someone will be, probably within the next two to four hours."

"I'll stay here until Mallory wakes up." she continued. "I want to be the one who tells him about Bill and the Lieutenant anyway. As his commanding officer I owe him that much at least."

"You got it Shirley." Francisca acknowledged.

"Once we have everything together we're going to find a more concealed and defensible position. In the meantime, while you're gone, I'm going to take stock of our supplies and weapons. Mallory was carrying a full rack and if we happen to have to go up against those M.A.G.I. I want to have some big guns like that Hs.404 Autocannon ready and waiting."

Francisca gave a startled glance. "Wait. **What**? We have to fight those insane kill-bots?"

"Seems to be the most likely scenario to me." Charlotte explained. "This organization knows we're on to them. I'm positive that the M.A.G.U.S. were sabotaged. I had already figured out that sub-harmonic cloak was exactly what it said on the tin. Designed to hide the core fragments presence from the Neuroi."

"I imagine they hoped that the Neuroi would find us and take us out. Not sure if they knew the fragments would regain their sentience. Probably not. They just didn't want to get their hands dirty. A dick move like that sounds just like something General Baloney would come up with. Asshole."

"Indeed." Francisca responded, using one of Charlotte's patented lines. "So, basically... collect all our stuff, don't get spotted by brain-in-a-jar death machines. Got it. Piece of cake."

Charlotte regarded her with a raised eyebrow and a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. "You've been hanging around me too much kiddo. I'm starting to rub off on you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Francisca chortled and spun in a circle with her arms out airplane-style, stopped and gave a quick wave. "Be right back."

"Hang on a second." Charlotte called out. She removed her flight jacket and tossed it. "Give that to Lynne on your way. If she's still zoned out just drape it over her."

"Roger." Francisca replied and scampered off.

Now alone, Charlotte turned to regard her surroundings. Hands on her hips, she pursed her lips and blew an errant strand of hair out of her face. _"Ok 'Glamorous Shirley'. Let's get this done. Failure is not an option."_

* * *

_... to be continued ..._


	12. In This Bittersweet Now

**A/N - **Not much to say here. Apologies for the ridiculously long wait. I will try to avoid such in the future. Better settle in. This one's 7,000 words and a bit.

Please enjoy this chapter.

Strike Witches is ©2013 Kadokawa Shoten, AIC Spirit

_"Strike Witches hajimaru yo!" *Strike Witches starts now!*_

* * *

**PROPER PATH TO GLORY**

Chapter Twelve – In This Bittersweet Now

"_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." _Lao Tzu

* * *

- _September 27th, 1943 ~ 501st JFW - Onboard Flying Fortress AE-710, crossing Karlsland Airspace _-

The overall mood was pretty tense in the spacious hold of the immense airship. Every girl there knew that this wasn't going to be a typical battle. In this instance if there were action it was going involve, not alien invaders, but members of the very same military organization they themselves belonged to. Ultimately though that didn't matter. Their friends were in danger and they were going to save them.

Two days earlier life had been normal. There had been no Neuroi incursions so their duty was light, even though they were temporarily short four members. Even though some of them felt a tiny amount of envy of their missing comrades for what was essentially a paid vacation, they all appreciated this lull in combat to relax and recharge. However, in the wee hours of the morning on the 25th, Minna Wilcke left the base accompanied by Erica Hartmann.

~_ After leaving Amsterdam Ursula Hartmann had realized she could use a third, much quicker and safer, option to contact Minna Wilcke. Reasoning that she would never reach Britannia before their enemy figured out her destination, she had doubled-back after passing the North Sea Canal and landed at a farm in rural Aalsmeer - about 50 klicks south of Amsterdam. She knew the owners of the farm quite well - childhood friends of her mother - whom she had last seen at her mother's funeral a little over a year earlier. They were trustworthy and, more importantly, they were __**civilian**__. _

_At Ursula's request, Dame Dana VanHedren made an innocent phone call to Capel-le-Ferne to catch up on things with her late friend's daughter. Without rousing suspicion, VanHedren was able to instruct Erica to get Commander Wilcke off-base to a private phone somewhere. Which she did. Minna trusted Erica and Erica trusted Ursula, so there was no need of convincing. The Strike Witches commander listened intently as Ursula related the findings of both herself and Charlotte Yeager. _

_Late afternoon on the 25th Minna Wilcke scheduled a meeting with the highest ranking official she truly believed she could trust - a man that, although she had not known for long, felt was the most unlikely to be compromised and most able to give them the help they needed._

_When the meeting ended she had returned to Capel-le-Ferne and called the squadron together - telling the assembled Witches about the conspiracy that threatened to undermine everything they risked their lives for daily. And informed them that their four absent friends may be directly in the heart of it. _~

It was now midday on the 27th. Earlier that morning they had received the go-ahead from General Briggs and they were now en route directly to Riga where, Minna suspected, Charlotte would need help. She understood from Ursula that Charlotte had promised to protect the M.A.G.U.S. pilots in the event the program could not be halted by official means. She knew Shirley wouldn't give up those boys without a fight. The girls would be heavily outnumbered. And, depending upon the allegiance of whoever was in command at Riga, they may even be treated as enemy combatants.

Soon they would be landing in Hamburg to refuel and then another six to seven hours in the air until they reached Tansaffal Airbase in Riga. Minna bounced the heel of her foot against the deck of the hold unconsciously while she tried to lay out as many scenarios as possible in her mind. Mio, who was sprawled out on a couple of packing crates half-opened her unpatched eye and regarded her friend's nervous twitch. She spoke in a matter-of-fact manner.

"You're over-thinking things again Minna. When the time comes, you'll make the right call. You always do."

The Strike Witches leader gave her second in command a wry smile. "I'm glad someone thinks so."

Mio stretched and sat upright. "No. You always do. From the day we lost Hanna and you took over you've made the right decisions. Maybe they haven't always been easy, but they have always been right. You just need to stop pushing yourself so hard."

The reassuring smile Mio gave her made Minna chuckle. "Okay, mom."

A voice from the back of the bay suddenly caught their attention.

"No. Oh, gods, no."

"Elia?" Minna inquired. "What's wrong?"

"We're... we're too late." The precognitive Witch murmured in reply.

Minna felt a chill run through her body. "What do you mean Elia? We can't be. They should still be a few hours out from Riga. What could possibly..."

"No. Before landfall... over the ocean... death follows two, despair follows another... it's going to happen. It may be happening now. We can't stop it."

By this time everyone in the cargo hold was listening intently. They had all been trying to keep cool but this sudden news had everyone instantly on edge. The group looked at Minna expectantly. Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done about it. They had no way to contact Charlotte and the rest without using a series of skip relays and they were not even supposed to be here. This was officially a cargo run.

"Minna?" Mio questioned.

"General Briggs should be on-board the Akane by now. That's Admiral Nishimura's flagship. I will notify him of your prediction." she frowned with determination. "We may not be able to stop it, but we can sure as hell try to minimize the damage."

Mio maintained a stoic expression, but inside she was roiling with turmoil. She was worried for all four girls, but her thoughts couldn't help but focus primarily on the young Fuso girl she had dragged into this war in the first place. Although Perrine was convinced that there was a romantic attraction between her beloved Major Sakamoto and that nasty 'raccoon dog' she had brought into their midst, nothing could be further from the truth. The Gallian noblewoman was simply ignorant of the sempai/kohai social dynamic that existed in Fuso culture.

Mio was Yoshika's senior, nothing more nothing less. Having actively tried to recruit Yoshika and having brought her to Britannia in the first place, she felt responsible for the younger girl and took it upon herself to make sure she trained well and stayed out of trouble. Not to mention the fact that Yoshika's own father had taken care of **her** when she was a young recruit. She felt she owed the Miyafuji family something as well, so there was that. For Yoshika's part, she looked up to "Sakamoto-san" and tried her best to learn from her and make her proud, just like any good Fuso junior would.

_"And you always __**do**__ make me proud Miyafuji. I should probably let you know that more often. Please be all right."_

* * *

- _September 27th , 1943 ~ Unidentified atoll in Orussian Territory_-

Yoshika was sleeping now although her sleep was anything but peaceful. Her body had run out of whatever stores of adrenaline that had been keeping it going earlier, but even unconscious she squirmed fitfully.

Lynette couldn't allow herself to be overwhelmed by her own fears and memories. She needed to take care of her precious love. Now that Charlotte and Francisca had left them alone, Lynne was able to focus enough to center and calm herself. It was a technique her therapist had taught her, back when she first began recovering from her father's abuse. One she hadn't needed to use for quite some time. Now that she had a moment to prepare, she was able to face her returning memories head-on.

Yes, her father had beaten her down mentally and abused her physically and twisted her shame to keep her quiet. For a while, that had been enough.

But there had been people who loved her, who helped her when all seemed lost. And now, at long last, she had a special someone who believed in her whole-heartedly. That special someone _needed_ her now. Just thinking about her love for that someone gave her a feeling of tremendous courage.

_"Yoshika thinks I'm wonderful. That's all that matters father. What you think is irrelevant."_

_**~ you are weak - you are pathetic - it was all your fault ~**_

_"No father. It was all __**your**__ fault. __**You**__ are the one who is weak. __**You**__ are the one who is pathetic. Doing... __**that**__ to your own daughter? For two years? Who could be more pathetic than __**you**__?"_

Lynne squared off against the demons in her mind. Quite frankly, she'd had about enough. She'd already come to terms with this. Yoshika's words may have triggered her flashback but she possessed the tools to fight it and regain control.

_"Aunt Ellen saved me from you. Dr. Lack helped me see that it wasn't my fault."_ She looked fondly at Yoshika. _"And without even knowing it, this amazing girl gave me strength - gave me my life back. __**My**__ life." _she thought with finality._ " You are no longer a part of it."_.

And as she thought it - she knew that it was true. His voice was gone once more and this time it felt like it was for good. Truly, she _was_ beyond his reach now. Even if she did encounter him again one day, she now knew she could face him. She could stand up against him. She wouldn't back down.

Because of **her**. It was all because of her.

Now that her existential crisis was over, the young Britannian allowed herself to feel a sense of satisfaction at the personal victory she had just achieved - reveling in both her new-found resilience and her staunch determination. Yoshika had always been strong for her and now it was her turn to be strong for Yoshika.

Her quiet reflection didn't last long, however.

Yoshika suddenly started becoming highly agitated again, rocking her head back and forth as her body began to shudder with violent spasms. Before Lynne was able to move to comfort her, the little Fuso girl's eyes snapped wide open and she sat bolt upright, screaming with renewed terror.

As Lynne once again held her girlfriend tightly, an odd and unfamiliar feeling of disassociation suddenly washed over her. She felt as if she were in two different places at once. The world around her grew darker until she was floating in pitch-black emptiness... empty save for the feeble glimmer of light barely visible in the distance. The light was crying. She could feel it's helplessness and despair.

_"where am i? what's happening to me?"_ the light cried out in fear. _"please. someone please help me."_

Lynette gasped in sudden understanding.

It was not unheard of that Witches who were partners - life partners - developed a bond deep enough to share their thoughts and emotions with one another. Generally it took years together for that to occur. However, Yoshika's anguish was resonating so deeply within Lynette's soul that for the moment they were sharing an empathic bond.

She found herself being pulled into Yoshika's memories - reliving the experience along with the terrified girl. Pain and pleasure indistinguishable. The darkness. The emptiness. The loss of self. The seductive whisper in the back of her mind, holding her docile and receptive while her life was consumed by the malignant spread of the parasitic alien intelligence. Shame at the willingness with which she had given her body and soul to her aggressor.

The memories kept replaying in an infinite loop that Yoshika could not escape, renewing the cycle of terror and shame over and over again. Lynette felt Yoshika's emotions and heard the thoughts behind them clearly. Part of the reason Yoshika was trapped in this hell was that she believed she deserved it. That she was to blame for being weak. Lynne knew those feelings well, and it broke her heart that her sweet and innocent lover had to experience such pain and degradation. In comparison, Lynne reflected, her father fell far short in the infliction of helplessness and horror that the Neuroi had achieved - although she perceived it was not for lack of trying.

_"You're wrong Yoshika. It's not your fault. There was nothing you could do."_

The chain was suddenly broken. Yoshika became aware of Lynette's presence and the relentless visions faded into the background.

_"lynne? where are you?"_

_"I'm here. I'm right here with you. Even if you can't see me, I'm with you." _

_"i feel so lost. i feel so alone."_

_"I will never let you be alone. I love you Yoshika, with all my heart. Never doubt that."_

_"but... but... you can't... i'm... i'm not... not... worthy of your love. i don't deserve your love."_

_"Hush now. You'll feel better with time. I understand what you are going through. You __**know**__ that I do."_

_"but..."_

_"You need to sleep baby. Just sleep. I'll watch over you. I won't let anything hurt you anymore, I promise."_

Relief washed over Lynne as she felt Yoshika slide into unconsciousness. The connection was broken and Lynne found herself alone in her head once again. The girl in her arms was finally sleeping normally, her breathing steady and even. Looking to make sure there were no rocks or rough ground underneath her girlfriend's body she laid her out, then sat up to catch her breath. She smiled thinking about the experience she had just gone through, now more sure than ever about the bond that existed between herself and the girl she loved. She was positive that, although it was going to be hard - and sometimes painful - she could help Yoshika get through whatever rough times were ahead.

Just as she knew Yoshika would do for her.

Taking in her surroundings she suddenly became aware of Francisca standing at the edge of the brushy area observing her. The little Romagnian appeared to have been hesitating, unsure of whether or not to approach the older girl. Lynne smiled awkwardly and motioned for her to come over.

"Are you ok Lynne?" Francisca asked, in a cautious way that made Lynne smile for some reason.

"Yes. I'm all right now." assured the Britannian ace. "I'm sorry about earlier. Revisited by some old ghosts I'm afraid. But I think I'm past it." Pausing, she continued in a firmer voice "No, I _know_ I'm past it." She looked down tenderly at the unconscious girl she watched over. "And I can help her get past it too."

The full meaning of Lynne's words were a bit too cryptic for the young Romagnian to follow really, but it sounded like it was a good thing so she just nodded her head and gave an encouraging smile. Lynne seemed as if she were pretty much back to normal, albeit a bit more... naked than usual.

"Oh! Right. Shirley wanted me to give you this." Francisca suddenly remembered. Handing Charlotte's flight jacket over to Lynne, she glanced down at Yoshika's sleeping form. "So. She's... gonna be ok, isn't she?"

"It may take a while, but I believe she will be." Lynette answered confidently, sliding the jacket around her shoulders. "She's a very strong person after all. She won't give up easily."

"Not to mention very stubborn." Francisca finished with a smile.

Lynne smiled as well and nodded in agreement. "So what are we doing?" she inquired. "I assume Shirley already has a plan in motion?"

"Well, for now, just stay with Yoshika." the pint-sized pilot told her. "I have to go collect all of our stuff and bring it back here. If you can get Yoshika moving by the time I'm done, we are going to retrench ASAP since we don't know when they're coming."

"Wait. Who's coming?" Lynne asked in confusion.

"Well, Shirley's not sure who exactly but she thinks that the M.A.G.U.S. suits were sabotaged so that the Neuroi would find us and kill us. She figures once the people who did it find out it wasn't successful they'll be sending in a 'clean-up crew'." Francisca hesitated for a moment and then continued. "Part of that crew may very possibly be those M.A.G.I. things."

Lynette digested this news with a frown. Looking thoughtfully at her girlfriend she felt like a new person. Gone was the constant feeling of uncertainty, of indecision. After all these many years she truly felt like herself again. Felt the courage and optimism she once had as a child. And she had someone to protect.

"Can you help me carry her out to the clearing so Shirley can keep an eye on her? I don't imagine she will be waking up any time soon, but I'd like her to not wake up alone, ok?"

"Huh?" grunted Francisca blankly.

"I'm going with you. You need the help and it sounds like we don't have a lot of time." She actually found herself grinning at Francisca's dumbfounded look. "I have a wonderful life to look forward to and she's going to be in it... she's going to be the most important part _**of**_ it. I'll do whatever I have to do in order to make that happen."

" 'Righty then." The little ace grinned back. "Let's do this."

Brandishing the oversized machete she had lifted from out of Mallory's weapon rack she began to hack a path back to where Charlotte and Vince were waiting. Lynne picked Yoshika up and marveled once again at how small and how light the adorable little Fuso maiden actually was.

This girl... this tiny girl, who took Neuroi particle beams point-blank without breaking a sweat, who had once shielded an **entire** **fleet** as it retreated from an ambush, who could bring a person back from the very brink of death through sheer force of will... that same tiny girl, now in her arms, felt as fragile as spun glass.

( ** )

In the scant twenty-or-so minutes Francisca had been gone Charlotte had already started scavenging serviceable parts from the now-defunct M.A.G.U.S., working around Mallory as it looked like the kid was going to just sleep the rest of the war away. As much as she wasn't looking forward to it, she decided was just going to have to wake him up. She had to get it over with at some point.

However, before she could move to do so she turned in surprise at the sound of bushes crashing down and saw her energetic partner clearing a path through the dense brush, followed closely by Lynette carrying Yoshika princess-style. Bursting into the clearing, Francisca struck a pose with the machete, coming dangerously close to nipping her ear in the process. Lynne immediately moved to the shady side of the clearing, carefully laid Yoshika down and kissed her softly on the lips. Then standing she turned to face Charlotte while coming to attention.

"Master Sergeant Lynette Bishop reporting for duty ma'am."

Charlotte cocked a suspicious eyebrow, giving Lynne the once-over. She seemed normal enough, if perhaps a bit more stiff than usual. Still... not thirty minutes ago she had been having a pretty serious emotional melt-down. Lynette could sense the skepticism in her senior's penetrating gaze.

"Shirley, I'm fine. Honestly."

There was a long pause as the two stared each other down.

"Well ok then." Charlotte finally relented. "Won't try to pretend we don't need you. I don't know how much Lucchini has filled you in, but time is of the essence. Get your wings, get our gear, and get your asses back, pronto."

The two girls nodded in assent.

"And you!" she continued, pinning Francisca with a glare. "Don't think I forgot. I don't care _what_ your hurry was; if you permanently damaged your Striker's with that so-called landing of yours, you will still be peeling potatoes two wars from now." Francisca swallowed hard, knowing Shirley was only half-kidding.

"One last thing before we go." Lynne spoke up. "About Yoshika." They all glanced over to where their injured companion was lying. "If she wakes up while I'm gone... she's likely to be confused and disoriented. You need to move slowly... don't startle her or do anything, you know, she may feel is threatening. Try to talk to her in a calm manner. She may not even respond, but..."

"I know Lynne. I saw the same training film." Charlotte assured her. Clapping the younger girl on the shoulder she flashed a confident smile. "Don't worry. I promise... I'll take good care of her until you get back."

With a feeling of gratitude Lynne turned and left - with Francisca in the lead of course. Charlotte was acting more like herself again, making Lynne feel a bit more at ease. She felt like there was a good chance they could still come out of this intact. Shirley was the best tactician she knew after their own commander Minna Wilcke. And she had actually been out in the field with Shirley more often than with Commander Wilcke. She was certainly grateful that Shirley was mission commander for _this_ assignment. She was going to have to confide certain personal things to Shirley relating to Yoshika's current mental state and she definitely wouldn't have felt as comfortable talking about such things with, say, Major Sakamoto or Lieutenant Barkhorn.

So having Charlotte in command and on top of things made her feel a bit more confident. They had faced worse than this. Hadn't they?

_"Let's see..." _she thought as she made her way through the undergrowth. _"Two of our friends are dead, Yoshika was almost consumed by a Neuroi and is now traumatized, Shirley is still recovering from her injuries, plus her Striker is damaged - and, not to be mean, but without the M.A.G.U.S. suit Vincent is just a guy - who can't even lift most of the weapons he was carrying."_

Her nose wrinkled unintentionally cutely as she frowned.

_"Have I forgotten anything? Oh, yes. The search and rescue operation is probably going to leave out the 'rescue' part."_ She mentally retracted her previous statement. They had definitely never faced worse than this.

( ** )

After making it back to the crash site with Lynette, Francisca went on to backtrack where she had 'landed' earlier. Even before Charlotte had brought it up, the little Romagnian had been slightly worried, after the fact, about the flight-worthiness of her Strikers. _"Eh!" _she had finally decided. _"... how bad could it be?"_ And put it out of her mind.

The answer, as it turned out, was _'pretty bad'_ actually.

Focused only on reaching her injured partner, Francisca had been coming in hot - probably clocking roughly 185 mph when she abandoned her Striker's and jumped the rest of the way. The impact of her slender body on the ground where she skidded to a landing dug a trench about a foot deep and fifteen-or-so feet long. The dead-weight Striker units - plummeting uncontrolled and still moving at-velocity - made an even bigger impression on the landscape.

The little Romagnian stared at the impressively-dinged fuselage of her Fiat's. Rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, she glanced around self-consciously - half expecting Charlotte to come racing out of the bushes, shouting 'J'accuse!'

_"Whoops."_ She told herself. _"Won't do that again."_

She hefted her Strikers up and laid them out on a clear patch where she could get a better look. Ignoring the cosmetic damage of course, it turned out there were only two major problems... both potentially fixable.

First of all, the starboard rudder assembly had become completely unseated from the housing. She could probably force that back into place if she could find something that had the leverage and tensile strength of a crowbar.

Second was the intake manifold on the port engine. It seemed fine on visual inspection, but when she fired it up, it stuck in the open position and the engine threatened to redline. She could fix it easily with a hex wrench and long-shafted Phillips-head. She _was_ 'Glamorous Shirley's' number-one sidekick and Girl Friday after all. She had learned a few things.

She cursed her short-sightedness. _"I should have grabbed the toolkit out of Merlin. That was dumb of me. Shirley would never make that mistake." _she thought sourly. _"Hey, that's right. Why don't __**I **__have one?"_ She scanned the ground for something to use as a makeshift tool._ "Crowbar... crowbar... crowbar..."_

( ** )

Lynette, meanwhile, started on her part of the salvage operation. Pulling two bungee cords from the emergency storage hatch in Yoshika's Striker and the two in her own as well, she used them to bind Yoshika's Zero's together. She found Yoshika's supply belt as well and about 40 extra rounds of ammo for her Type 99. She stuffed all of that, as well as her own supply belt and ammo, inside the leg cavities of Yoshika's Striker.

She decided to save Francisca some time by hauling Charlotte's Striker's upright and using the cord in Merlin's emergency storage to do the initial binding. She tried to think of a way to leave Francisca a note on what to do with the rest, but decided that the savvy Ensign could figure it out on her own.

Strapping her Boys A-A to her back and slinging Yoshika's T-99 Aircraft Cannon over her right shoulder she grabbed the cords binding Yoshika's Zero's in her left fist, braced herself against the added weight and took off toward the rendezvous point.

When Lynne returned, Yoshika still had not woken up but Vince had. She landed and brought the equipment out for inspection. Deciding to wait and see what the atmosphere was before she said anything to Vince, she reported her findings to Charlotte.

"Ok. Good. Well, once Lucchini gets back we can figure out where we are going to hole up. Where... where..." the Liberion ace mused.

Vince raised a hand. "Beggin' th' Captains pardon, but whilst ah was gettin' thrown upside-down an' sideways, ah could swear ah saw what looked like the mouth of a cave system along that cove on th' north side a th' island or whatever this is."

Charlotte perked up hearing that. "That's pretty likely actually. Many islands and atoll's like this have extensive cave systems. That would be a great place to stash our armament _and_ establish an observation post."

She eyed Vince - somewhat cautiously it seemed. "You wanna walk with me and check out the lay of the land? Figure out our defensive options?"

"Sounds good ta' me ma'am." the young man answered. "Better'n sittin' around waitin' ta get picked off by a bunch a' scrub rats, fer' sure."

Seeing the underlying guilt and sadness on Charlotte's face, Vince gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look. "Ah' really am okay ma'am. Like ah' said, I'll grieve for 'em both when the times' proper. But ah'd be dishonorin' Bill _and_ the Lieutenant if I didn't use everything they taught me to help you guys get home safe."

Charlotte smiled gratefully at his words. She admired the grit and determination the boy seemed to possess, while maintaining a rather humble personality. He certainly lived up to Francisca's opinion of him. Not surprising really, as she knew the little Romagnian tended to choose her friends well.

"Alright then. Do me a favor, will ya? Go on ahead and start mapping out the leading tunnels. I'll catch up to you in a bit." Vince nodded and moved out to attend to his assignment.

Charlotte then motioned to Lynne to walk with her. They both slowly approached the spot where Yoshika lay.

"She woke up for a brief moment, but she wasn't lucid. I got her to drink some water. Well, to be fair, I poured it in her mouth and she just swallowed reflexively."

Looking thoughtfully at the little Fuso girl, she continued. "She is definitely catatonic though. One thing I could tell for sure is that she is still can't see. Hysterical Blindness, at least in the battlefield is generally caused by sensory overload. You know, heat of battle stuff... gunfire, explosions, fear, confusion - everything happening all at once. She experienced sensory overload of some kind and now her brain can't process the information it's receiving. Probably some sort of defense mechanism for her sanity. Which again leads me to _'what happened_?' y'know?"

She frowned at her inability to understand why her squad mate and friend was hurt so badly. "I can't even begin to imagine what she could have experienced to cause this level of trauma. _Especially_ for someone like Miyafuji. She's one tough girl." She mused.

Lynette had known this discussion was coming and had already made the decision to trust Charlotte with the more intimate details of the psychological consequences of violent assault. She motioned for the older girl to sit.

"I can tell you exactly what happened Shirley. After all, I experienced it second-hand. And even though I knew it wasn't actually happening to me, it was still pretty terrifying."

Charlotte felt like she missed something. "What are you talking about?"

"She woke up again while you and Francisca were gone. I heard her scream my name, but it was in my head." She glanced over and saw that she had Charlotte's full attention. "An instant later I felt like I was in two places at once. I was kneeling on the ground next to Yoshika and I was also floating next to her somewhere dark and empty. She was reliving the incident and I experienced it too"

"That's... ... uh... **wow**!" Charlotte managed to stammer. The Liberion ace certainly understood the significance of such an event. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the souls of these two young lovers were bound by something deeper than destiny or fate.

"I couldn't get direct information, but I got the impression that she was exhausted. The Neuroi caught her by surprise and played some pretty nasty mind-games with her. When it had her, I am positive that Yoshika didn't even understand what had happened to her."

She swallowed hard and fought not to waver. "I know that, as our commanding officer, you're going to need to know. What I'm about to tell you is very personal Shirley and I'm trusting you to keep our confidence."

Charlotte nodded an affirmative.

"And also," Lynne continued. "to fully understand what happened to Yoshika and why she is reacted the way she did, I need to tell you what happened to me as well, when I was younger."

"Huh?" Charlotte asked in confusion.

"I know they may not seem related, but they are." she sighed. "I guess I should start at the beginning..."

( ** )

Back at the 'landing' site, Francisca was putting the finishing touches on her repair job. She had ended up running back to the crash site and retrieving the tool kit from the storage area in Merlin where Charlotte kept a small stash of emergency supplies. The Liberion-made P-51 Mustang bodies were a bit larger than her own Fiat's and had extra space for such things. She still wanted her own tool kit though.

Replacing the shroud over the now-repaired intake manifold, she thanked her lucky stars that she actually paid attention when Shirley showed her this stuff. Although her 'big sis' seemed to have a knack for getting her to pay attention and retain this kind of knowledge.

Even though busy, she had time to reflect on everything that had happened today. Specifically, her reaction to what had happened to Shirley. Was she in love with Shirley? She knew that she loved the older girl, but was she _**in**_ love with her? She hadn't thought so, but when the crisis came it seemed that was truly the case.

She said some pretty powerful things in the heat of the moment. There was no way they could just ignore this. The redhead was treating her just the same, but when she was holding Francisca in her arms earlier, comforting her, Shirley had whispered to her. "When things settle down, we need to have a serious talk, ok kiddo?"

Francisca was not the brooding type though. Things would work out as they worked out. She was confident that, no matter what, the close friendship she shared with the older girl would always remain. Shirley would never abandon her and Francisca would always do her best to make her mentor proud.

Time to collect Merlin, get all their junk, and head back. Smiling, she fired up the engines and snorted in satisfaction as they purred smoothly for her.

_"Good as new. Shirley probably won't even notice I used the landing strut as a crowbar. Or the two foot long gash in the starboard fuselage..."_

The tiny Romagnian ace never received the scolding she had feared from Charlotte about her Fiat's. The older girl had more important things to worry about and simply expressed her relief that Francisca was back safe and sound.

Ruffling the youngsters hair, Charlotte gave her some rations and water. "Why don't you stay here and rest up a bit while the rest of us start setting things up. Someone needs to stay with Miyafuji anyway and I want Lynette on ordinance. Okay?"

"Okay Shirley. Whatever you say." Francisca replied confidently.

"You did a great job kiddo. I'm proud of you."

Ordinarily, receiving such praise from Charlotte would simply cause Francisca to grin like an idiot and giggle, but not this time. She was even surprised herself when she felt her face heat up and her cheeks flare bright red in embarrassment. Turning her eyes away and staring at the ground she managed to stammer "T-thanks Shirley."

Charlotte couldn't help but notice this drastic change in behavior. She arched an eyebrow, but kept her observation to herself and went on about her business.

_"What the heck was that?"_ Francisca thought in confusion. _"Why did I react that way? Gods, Shirley is gonna think I'm getting weird or something."_

* * *

- _September 27th , 1943 ~ Command Deck, I.F.S. Akane, Southern Baltic Sea - _

The Akane's Chief Communications Officer perked up immediately upon hearing the radio transmission between the two parties he had been tasked to listen for. He spun in his chair to face the command deck and looked upward.

"Admiral Nishimura? We are intercepting a transmission between Tansaffal Airbase in Riga and the M.A.G.U.S. Taskforce."

Nishimura frowned and stood, clasping his hands behind his back. "Very good, Lieutenant. Put it on speakers. Let's hear what they have to say."

There was a brief crackle of static and then the Latvian-tinged accent of Tansaffal's Operations Officer could be heard over the bridge's loudspeakers.

_**"Yes, General Maloney? Dis is the Tansaffal Con-tower. Your pilots are now 3 hours overdue and ve are unable to establish radio contact. Ve are preparing S&R teams now and will keep you apprised as to our status. Over"**_

_**"Thank you Tansaffal, but there is no need for you to send your teams at this time. We are in the vicinity of their last sighted position and are currently preparing our own operation. Please be aware that while the M.A.G.U.S. program itself is no longer classified, some of the tech involved is still restricted material." **_There was a pause in the transmission._** "Quite honestly, unless we deem it necessary, we would like to minimize involvement with non-essential units. You understand, of course? Over." **_

The voice of Tansaffal's Operations Officer was replaced by a new voice, carrying with it a distinctly Liberion inflection.

_**"General. This is Lieutenant-Colonel Hollister. I acknowledge your message and we will remain on standby. I have to say on-the-record General, I do not like this. My people are not accustomed to sitting on the sidelines while others do our job. Over." **_

_**"While I do understand your feelings Colonel, I repeat, we are simply trying to avoid a potential security breech. You are, of course, free to confirm our current assignment and mission parameters with Central Command if you feel you must."**_

_**"That won't be necessary General. I will defer to your authority in this instance. We will have S&R teams standing by at any rate. Please let us know if you require assistance. Tansaffal out."**_

Nishimura turned to address the figure that had entered the bridge during the transmission and was now leaning against the rail of the Command Deck. "Did you get all that Douglas?"

Brigadier General Douglas 'D.W.' Briggs nodded to his long-time friend. "I did. Sounds like the 501st's precog, Lieutenant Juutilainen, was right on the money. Thanks for sticking your neck out like this Noboru. It means a lot to me. Since we don't know who in Central Command has been compromised, we have to make this stand without official backing."

"Don't mention it Douglas." The Admiral answered. "If even half of what you told me is true it will be worth the risk. So how would you like to proceed?"

"Just keep us on this heading and speed until we rendezvous with Commander Wilcke's squadron. If we **do** end up having to deal with those experimental mech units I'll feel a lot better having a full contingent of Witches to back us up." Briggs cast his old friend a hooded glance. "I just hope we're in time."

Both men turned as Ursula Hartmann approached with a stack of research notes and mission briefs.

"I've gathered all the relevant information on the M.A.G.I. General Briggs. Hopefully we can use this information to find a weakness in the units' defenses."

"Thank you Lieutenant." the General acknowledged. "Noboru, do you mind if I use your office for a while?"

"Go right ahead." The Admiral told him. "Anything else?"

"Have your Com Officer establish a secure line to Commander Hollister in Riga. As soon as you get him, patch it through to your office." Motioning Ursula to follow, Briggs began making his way to the Admiral's ready room.

* * *

Francisca perked up the instant she saw Yoshika stirring. She forced herself not to react rapidly, moving slowly and deliberately toward Yoshika while calling out to her in a half-whisper. "Ciao, Yoshika. Are you feeling better?"

The Fuso pilot slowly took in her surroundings with half-focused eyes, finally settling on Francisca, staring at her while recognition slowly returned.

"lucchini-chan?"

The little Romagnian smiled. "Yeah. How are you feeling?"

For a long while there was only a blank stare.

"...it hurts..." Yoshika finally answered dully.

"What hurts, Yoshika?"

"...it hurts..." she repeated.

"Can I get you anything? You want some water?" Francisca asked her.

"lynne?" Yoshika questioned in the same dead monotone.

The Romagnian started to become worried. "No. It's me. It's Lucchini."

The reply was weak and confused. "lucchini... -chan?"

"Yeah. Lynne is out helping Shirley and Vince drag all our stuff into these caves that we're all gonna hide in from the bad guys. You know, I may be fast and all around bad-ass but Lynne has me beat in the upper body strength department , if you know what I... mean... and... I... umm..."

Francisca's stream-of-consciousness babble trailed off as she slowly realized that although Yoshika was awake she was far from aware.

"oh..." The hollow-eyed brunette whispered dejectedly. "...ok ..."

Francisca watched in dismay as Yoshika curled herself into a fetal position and began to cry. Why on earth was her friend was acting like this? Why didn't she heal herself? Did something else happen that Lynne and Shirley were keeping from her? She was desperate to help somehow. The sight of Yoshika crying... it was just **wrong**.

"Please don't cry Yoshika." Francisca pleaded desperately. "We're all here for you. We'll keep you safe, just like you've always done for us. I promise."

It was no use. Yoshika still couldn't fully comprehend where she was or what was happening around her. Reality was too bright and too loud and too sharp. With every heartbeat the lacerations covering her body throbbed in excruciating pain, further dulling her ability to think. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut she screamed in her mind.

_"__**Rinnne!**__"_

Out loud, she whimpered. "i need... i need... *sob* i need... *sob* i need..."

At this point Francisca was crying quite heavily herself. "Shhhhh. Shhhhh. It's ok Yoshika. It's going to be ok." She soothed, trying to reassure the older girl. "I know. I know who you need. I'll go get her right now, ok? I'll be right back. I won't let you down. Just stay with us ok? "

With a final worried look back she ran as fast as her magically-enhanced form could carry her to the spot where Shirley had decided to set up shop. She found Vince and Charlotte placing camouflage in front of certain cave fronts and flumes that faced skyward. Lynne was off to the side checking, prepping and loading the ordinance.

Panting she dashed up to them dragging her sleeve across her eyes to wipe away any remaining tears.

"Lynne! Lynne! You gotta come quick. Please!"

Lynne looked up from her work, concern written deeply on her features. "What's wrong?"

"She's... she's scared. She's really really scared. And I don't know why. And I couldn't help her." the younger girl answered desperately. "She barely even knew I was there. What's wrong with her Lynne? Why is she acting like this?"

Lynne looked questioningly at Charlotte who gave her a brief nod in return. "Go."

As Lynette dashed away, Charlotte snagged Francisca's collar preventing the lovable little pest from butting in where she didn't belong. The kid was still a bit too young to fully understand relationship boundaries. Instead of protesting though, Francisca spun around to confront her partner.

"Why won't you guys tell me what's really wrong with her?" She was angry and tried to show it by her furrowed brow and stern countenance and serious demeanor. It was the indignantly puffed-out cheeks that finally did it for Charlotte. _"Gah! She is __**so**__ adorable."_

The Liberion didn't even try to hold back her laughter. "Oooo. Is Wucchini wewe angwy?"

'Wucchini' stomped her foot in frustration. "**Shirley!**"

The redhead chuckled and held her hand up in a consolatory gesture. "Sorry kiddo. You're just too cute sometimes." Ruffling the youngsters hair, she went on. "But seriously, all you need to know is what you already know. A Neuroi tried to assimilate Yoshika and she beat it. And she got seriously injured doing so. Anything else that may have happened is personal and is not for me to share, all right?"

Francisca knew Charlotte was telling her straight and grudgingly nodded in agreement. Then, looking for any assurance she could get, she asked in a quiet voice. "Will she be ok again?"

The smile Charlotte answered her with was genuine. "If I were placing bets? I would bet on Miyafuji every time."

( ** )

Right now they were playing a waiting game. Their preparations had been made, as far as they could make them. Camouflage in place. Weapons primed and ready. Yoshika had been moved to a safe place, deep inside one of the main caverns they had found. Lynette was currently with her.

Charlotte found a comfortable vantage point and settled in to await their theorized aggressors. Feeling a lump inside her jacket, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigar - one of the brand Bill Fiske had carried with him habitually. She silently thanked him as she patted the pockets looking for her Zippo_. _Puffing on the cigar to get it roaring, she looked up to the wide open blue reflectively.

_"Don't worry Bill. I intend to kick their asses all the way to Hades. I __**will**__ make them pay for what they've done to you and Padric. And I'll get Vince home safe and sound too. I promise you."_

* * *

_... to be continued ..._


End file.
